Cancer treatment saved my life… but left me unable to enjoy sex – now radical treatment has restored my mojo
When Anna Sullivan was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 37, her first thought was: ‘Am I going to die?’ Her second, quieter fear was what treatment would do to her body—and to her sex life.
After a mastectomy, Anna was placed on hormone therapy—a vital treatment that works by blocking oestrogen, the hormone that can fuel the growth of certain breast cancers.
It dramatically cut her risk of the disease coming back, but it also catapulted her into an abrupt, medically-induced menopause.
The result was agonising vaginal pain that left her unable to have sex with her husband.
‘We tried once and it was unbearable,’ recalls Anna, now 44. ‘At no point had a doctor warned me this might happen.’
The condition, known as genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), is common among women forced into early menopause by cancer drugs, causing dryness, pain and loss of intimacy.
But at first, Anna’s suffering was dismissed: ‘I told my oncologist, “It hurts all the time, especially during sex.” They just said, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” I felt ashamed and completely alone.’
But today, the picture is far more positive—and, after years of trial and error, Anna found an unlikely treatment that changed everything: platelet-rich plasma (PRP) vaginal injections.
Anna was thrilled when she got the all clear after she found a small lump on her breast that turned out to be breast cancer. But she didn’t know the treatment would completely derail her sex life
The treatment involvings using a woman’s own blood component to promote healing and tissue regeneration in the vagina.
A clinician will take a patient’s blood before processing it in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets—small fragments in the blood that form clots and promote healing.
The concentrated plasma is then injected into specific areas of the vagina to stimulate cell regeneration and support tissue growth.
The treatment is said to provide a range of benefits from enhanced sexual function, through increasing sensitivity and improving lubrication, to pain relief and vaginal rejuvenation.
Whilst Anna did not experience lasting pain relief after the treatment when it came to sex, she said it helped improve sensation and lubrication and opened the door for more open and honest conversation about cancer, sex and the menopause.
She now uses a carefully-curated combination of treatments including pelvic floor exercises and low-dose oestrogen creams, after reading compelling new research, to treat her symptoms, allowing her to live an almost normal life.
She said: ‘I used to be really scared of using oestrogen creams, even though the pain was unbearable and ruining my sex life, because it was thought for a long time that oestrogen could increase the chance of breast cancer returning.
‘I know now that this simply is not true. But the culture of fear around using hormone therapy started so long ago it’s going to take a long time for that fear to subside.’
According to the NHS, while some of the hormonal changes that happen during menopause may change the way a woman experiences sex, it does not guarantee a drop in sex drive
The menopausal transition usually lasts about 7 years, during which time women can experience a long roster of symptoms that go beyond just hot flashes and night sweats
She now wants to help reduce the stigma and shame surrounding the menopause, especially for women who have been left with no other choice but to face it early because of cancer.
Her plea comes as millions of women could soon benefit from a new all-natural intimate cream being hailed as a female version of Viagra.
Makers of the plant-based formula—called Myregyna—insist it can restore vulval health and ‘bring back the joy of sex’ for women battling the menopause, all without the use of hormones.
Inventor Dr Iona Weir claims trials have shown the cream improves sexual response and function in women dealing with the effects of menopause.
It’s applied to the intimate area nightly and taken alongside a daily supplement, with results expected in as little as a month.
The cream is designed to reverse the symptoms of GSM including vaginal dryness, incontinence, discomfort and pain during sex—all of which can severely impact quality of life.
Currently around 90 per cent of women with cancer encounter sexual health problems which can lead to long-term distress affecting personal and social well-being.
Around half of post-menopausal women will experience vaginal dryness—most of whom don’t seek treatment for their symptoms which typically include vaginal dryness, irritation and pain during intercourse.
