Will I Be Able to Have Sex After Prostate Surgery?
Oct 18, 2024
Prostate surgery can effectively treat prostate cancer, which affects about one in eight men at some point. Prostate surgery also reduces urinary problems from an enlarged prostate.
As helpful as these procedures are for enhancing or even saving your life, they can alter your sexual function. It’s important to know, however, that prostate surgery doesn’t have to put an end to your sex life.
Our experts at Kane Health, serving the Silicon Valley, Redwood City, and the San Francisco Bay area of California, offer a post-prostate recovery plan (PPRC) to restore your sexual health after prostate cancer treatment.
The prostate is a gland that allows for normal urination as well as ejaculation during sex.
Prostate surgery removes some or all of your gland. Depending on the type of surgery, you may need to stay in the hospital overnight or up to several days afterward.
Following a simple prostatectomy, you may need a urinary catheter for 2-3 days. After a radical prostatectomy, you may need one for 10-14 days. During that time, and often for several weeks, you may feel more fatigued or tired than usual.
For up to a month following your prostate procedure, as the incision sites heal, you’ll need to avoid strenuous activities, such as heavy lifting and sex.
About a month following prostate surgery, you can likely resume sexual activity. However, you may notice changes in how your body appears or operates, such as:
These changes may lead to performance anxiety and reduced sexual self-confidence. Relationship challenges may arise if you or a partner aren’t comfortable discussing the changes. A lack of professional guidance may exacerbate intimacy problems due to a lack of understanding regarding sexual dysfunction.
Some sex-related challenges after prostate surgery diminish with time. For example, erectile dysfunction (ED) is very common during the first few months. Within one year, most people notice significant improvements in that department — as long as they haven’t had permanent nerve damage.
Regardless of where your sexual health stands, our personalized recovery plans can help restore the intimacy and pleasure you miss. Depending on the type of surgery, your age, and your overall health, your plan may include:
These treatments positively affect various aspects of your sexual health, such as your hormone levels and blood circulation during arousal.
Urologist Dr. Chris Threatt oversees all of our PPCR programs, so you’ll also have access to his guidance and expertise throughout.
You might also consider seeking sex therapy for emotional challenges and switching from intercourse to outercourse, also known as non-penetrative sex, at least for a while.
To learn more about sex after prostate surgery or get personalized sexual health support, call our office or request an appointment through our website today.