Much has been written about cancer survivorship, but it's rare to come across information that's geared specifically towards young, single women. Which is why the most recent entry on drleahm.com, the blog of Stanford physician Leah Millheiser, MD, jumped out at me. In her post, Millheiser, director of Stanford's Female Sexual Medicine Program, offers tips for women in their 20s and 30s who are jumping back into the dating scene, and she answers practical questions like when they should tell their partner about the cancer. She also explains what prompted her to offer such guidance:
These young women are often faced with issues related to their mortality, fertility, body image, and sexual function. Many of the support networks for women with breast cancer are geared towards the perimenopausal and postmenopausal age groups and the younger women become isolated. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with many amazing, young breast cancer survivors, and there are 3 recurring themes that tend to come up in my conversations with them: re-entering the dating scene after diagnosis/treatment, pregnancy concerns, and sexual dysfunction. Throughout the month of October, I will be covering each of these issues, so stay tuned!
Previously: Ask Stanford Med: Director of Female Sexual Medicine Program responds to questions on sexual health, Shining the spotlight on women's sexual health and Unique challenges face young women with breast cancer
