Testicular Cancer & Sex - What You Should Know

Testicular cancer is rare, but it is the most common cancer in young men. Fortunately, it is almost always treatable - about 97% of testicular cancer patients will survive if it’s treated rapidly. In order to discuss how testicular cancer affects the patient’s sex life, it’s important to first discuss what it is, how to detect it, and how to treat it.

Symptoms

There are no known prevention methods against testicular cancer, so it’s crucial for men to know which symptoms they should look out for in order to start treatment as soon as possible. Some symptoms of testicular cancer include lumps in the testicles, enlarged testicles, aches in the lower abdomen or groin, and sudden swelling around the testicles. If you notice any of the other symptoms, be sure to check in with a doctor as soon as possible.

Self-Exams

Similarly to checking for breast lumps, men can and should perform self-exams for testicular bumps at least once a month. The self-exams are quick, so men can easily find time to complete them after showers or while getting ready in the morning. Here are the suggested steps to take:

1. Stand in front of a mirror and check for any swelling.
2. Relax, support your testicles with your hands, and roll the testicle between your thumb and fingers checking for bumps. You’ll likely feel a cord-like structure at the top of and behind your testicles which is completely normal.
3. Look out for any bumps that feel like hard rubber. They can be as small as a grain of rice.
4. Check for tenderness.
5. If you find any swelling, lumps, or tenderness, consult a doctor.

Treatment

As stated previously, testicular cancer is, luckily, quite treatable. Depending on what stage the patient is in, there are different options for treatment. These options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surveillance. Typically, removal of the testicle with the tumor is the first option. Patients with stage 1 are often just monitored after their surgery. Those with stage 2 are typically treated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Lastly, those with stage 3 suffer from the cancer spreading to other parts of the body and undergo combination chemotherapy.

Testicular Cancer & Sex

With cancer located in such a private and sensitive location, it’s completely understandable to be worried or curious about how testicular cancer may affect one’s sex life. These sections will elaborate on how testicular cancer impacts patients’ fertility, erections, and sex drive. For some quick facts on the subject, see the infographic below by the men’s wellness brand, hims.

Fertility

With the removal of the testicle(s) as the most common treatment, one of the first questions many men have is whether they’ll be able to father children after the surgery. Fortunately, with this treatment option, fertility will almost always return to normal once the cancer has been treated if only one testicle was removed. If both testicles are affected and, therefore, must be removed, the patient will be infertile after surgery. However, before undergoing surgery for testicular cancer, men can preserve their sperm for use in the future if he would like to have children.

As for the effects of chemotherapy, men will likely experience temporary infertility while undergoing treatment. This should return back to normal less than a year after treatment. However, if there is a high dose of chemotherapy being used, it’s possible that he will suffer from infertility permanently afterward. In this case, it’s a good idea to save and preserve the sperm as well.

Lastly, those who undergo radiation therapy should return back to normal a few months after treatment. It should be noted, however, that doctors advise not to attempt to father a child until at least a year after your final radiation treatment as it’s possible that the radiation can affect the sperm and lead to health issues for the child.

Erections

Another common worry of men with testicular cancer is whether they’ll struggle with getting an erection. Men who have one testicle removed should not have problems getting erections since their healthy testicle should be able to produce enough testosterone. However, if both testicles are removed, men can undergo testosterone replacement therapy in order to continue getting erections and improve their sex drive. With radiation, it is possible that it can impact nerves and arteries, therefore making it more difficult to get and maintain an erection. Lastly, chemotherapy should not have an effect on a man’s ability to get an erection. Fortunately, there are erectile dysfunction solutions men can look into to help them get and maintain erections.

Sex Drive

One more concern men have is whether their sex drive will be affected by testicular cancer or its treatments. If one testicle had to be removed, there typically is no effect on sex drive. As stated previously, if both testicles are removed, testosterone replacement therapy can be done to improve this. During treatment, it is completely normal to experience a loss of sex drive, but, it has been found that sexual satisfaction is still relatively high despite any issues that may occur.

Although there are some potential effects testicular cancer and its treatments may have on men, it’s important to remember that there are a variety of methods to overcome these changes. All men should routinely check for any irregularities associated with testicular cancer and consult their doctor right away if an issue is found.

References

Henkel, J. (1996). Testicular cancer. FDA Consumer, 30(1), 24.

Steinmehl, E. (2005). what he needs: awareness. Health (Time Inc. Health), 19(2), 64.

Developed by, R. (2013). Testicular Self-Exam. CRS - Adult Health Advisor, 1.

National Cancer Institute. (2018). Treatment Option Overview. https://www.cancer.gov/types/testicular/patient/testicular-treatment-pdq

Cancer Research UK. (2017). Fertility. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/testicular-cancer/coping/fertility

Female Hairlessness: Tweezing out Typicality

Last summer, as I was sitting on the cottage dock scrolling through my Instagram feed, a photo of an old high school friend caught my eye. Captioned “being me, being free,” she was with her sister on a beach excitedly jumping up in the air – arms outstretched and smiles wide, animated by the bright sun and August air. As I prepared to double tap, I noticed the last comment that read, “that’s disgusting.” Confused, I scrolled up to find comments ranging from “good for you Hannah” to “yikes.” When I saw the light brown patch of hair underneath her underarms, it became clear that the overtly hostile comments were fuelled by Hannah’s disinclination to shave and follow the social norm of female hair removal.

Of course, I was not surprised by these negative reactions. It is the same backlash met by actress Mo’Nique’s unshaven legs at the Precious Premier in 2009, Miley Cyrus’ proudly pink-dyed underarm hair on Instagram in 2015, and any other woman who has tried to go against the western cultural inevitability of spending the money, sacrificing the time, and enduring the pain of removing their body hair. These widespread responses of revulsion and disapproval to a woman’s natural body in our society raises important questions regarding the negative impact that our socially constructed ideals of femininity, sexuality, and beauty have on our contemporary society, and the latent sexism that persists.

These issues first become apparent when considering what motivates women to remove their body hair. Tiggemann & Hodgson (2008) found that enhanced feelings of sexual attractiveness, increased femininity and social acceptance, and maintenance of self-esteem were the most common factors. These findings are particularly disturbing; not only do they suggest that women feel their natural female state is not acceptable or desirable, but that ideals of femininity and sexual appeal in our culture are not for a woman at all – but for a young girl. After all, it is hair (including pubic, leg, and underarm hair) that denotes sexual maturity; a lack of it is characteristic of children. The sexualisation of this pre-pubescent body can only worsen the objectification of young girls. There is even a subreddit dedicated to Taylor Swift’s “smooth” and “baby soft” hairless underarms, with male commenters wanting to “lick them.” [1]

Men, on the other hand, are perceived as more attractive, sexy, and masculine the more body and facial hair they have (Fahs, 2011). This gender double standard in the presence of hair can then be interpreted as contemporary perceptions of “womanly” meaning “childlike,” and “manly” meaning “adult-like.” This is not to say that men are attracted to children, but rather it is meant to unearth the power imbalances embedded - and sometimes otherwise unnoticed, in the female hair removal norm. This is further illustrated in Basow’s (1998) research that showed both men and women perceived a woman to be less intelligent and took them less seriously than the same woman without body hair.

Many women simply feel “mentally unclean” and “less put together” when they don’t shave (Fahs, 2011, p. 493). My friends say they feel “too dirty” after a certain point of letting their hair grow – not necessarily that they feel less attractive or worse about themselves. Though this seems more benign, it makes me wonder why women hold themselves to a higher standard of “cleanliness” than men. After all, men don’t report having these sentiments; to them, there is nothing more dirty or unclean about body hair than the hair on their heads – and rightfully so. Hair has important biological functions such as protection of skin, regulating body temperature, promoting evaporation of sweat, and pheromone communication. Additionally, according to Dr. Emily Gibson - a professor at Western Washington University, shaving of pubic hair can promote STI transmission through irritated skin and inflamed follicles (Laurence, 2012). This further leads me to believe that the female hairless beauty standard is so entrenched in western culture that it is thoroughly internalized, to the point that it influences false perceptions of basic hygiene, while fuelling a gender double standard.

I am happy to note though that it’s not all doom and gloom. Events in the media are showing that women have been starting to catch on to the gender asymmetries and negative consequences associated with the hairless female beauty norm, sparking a body hair acceptance movement. These include the trending #pithairdontcare hashtag on Instagram, Gigi Hadid’s December 2017 Love Magazine advent calendar promotion for the Tommy X Gigi collection featuring her underarm hair, and photographer Ben Hopper’s photo series Natural Beauty in 2014, where he depicts women in their natural state to deconstruct the negative connotation associated with body hair. These instances mark an important shift occurring in our culture toward body acceptance rather than body modification. In a society where young girls and boys are growing up with images of photoshopped celebrities and hairless porn stars, it is important to present people who go against these conventions to facilitate a community of inclusiveness instead of potentially harmful expectations.

By presenting these thoughts and critiques, I am not suggesting that every woman grow their leg hair long like Mo’Nique, or dye their armpit hair like Miley. However, I hope women start questioning themselves the next time they grimace at their razor burn or pay $1,000 for electrolysis: who are you doing this for and why? Ultimately, women should be able to do what they want with their bodies, and if a woman, like Hannah, wants to let their hair grow naturally, then we should react to their body with positivity, not disgust. Otherwise, we need to acknowledge the consequences this norm has had on female sexuality and body image, as well as what it illuminates about our societal values, and the gender double standard that lingers.

Darci Brill Bachelor’s of Arts (BAH) Major Psychology Queen's University

References

Basow, S. A. (1991). The Hairless Ideal: Women and Their Body Hair. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15(1), 83-96. Doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.1991.tb00479.x

Fahs, B. (2011). Breaking Body Hair Boundaries: Classroom Exercises for Challenging Social Constructions of the Body and Sexuality. Feminism & Psychology, 22(4), 482-506.        Doi: 10.117/0959353511427293

Laurance, J. (2012, August 5). Physician Calls for an End to Bikini Waxing. Independent. Retrieved March 14, 2018

Tiggemann, M., & Hodgson, S. (2008). The Hairless Norm Extended: Reasons for and Predictors of Women’s Body Hair Removal at Different Body Sites. Sex Roles, 59 (11-12), 889-897. Doi: 10.1007/s11199-008-9494-3

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/taylorswiftarmpit/?count=51&before=t3_5vhl8d