Lowering your testosterone with ADT is an important part of your treatment, but this will also affect your sexual health. Low testosterone will make it more difficult for you to have erections and will lower your libido. This means you may notice that you don’t think about sex as much as you did before your testosterone levels declined. These changes will begin within about a month after starting treatment and will persist for as long as your testosterone is suppressed. Some men find this can lead to anxiety over their self-image and about how these changes might affect their partner and their relationship. It’s therefore important that your partner also learn about your treatment and understand the changes you are going through.

Partners are encouraged to participate in at least some of the initial discussions you have about it with your doctor. Having as much knowledge as possible together can really help couples navigate through these challenges.

Fortunately, most men soon become accustomed to their new normal and their concerns diminish about altered self-image. Also, most couples find that they can continue to enjoy a strong relationship without intimacy, or they find ways to maintain an intimate relationship without intercourse.

There are treatment options available for those who wish to attempt to restore their erectile function. These include oral medications, as well as other medication options that are inserted or injected into the penis, and a non-medication option which is a vacuum pump. Finally, a surgically implanted prosthesis may be a consideration for some facing a long-term problem with erectile dysfunction. Each of these options can be discussed with your doctor.

Not everyone is able to adjust successfully to the effects of low testosterone, and if you feel you are struggling with it, your doctor can refer you and your partner to a counselor to advise you on effective coping strategies.

If your treatment program eventually allows your testosterone levels to recover your interest in sex will return along with it. Your erectile function may or may not recover depending on the effects of other prostate cancer treatment you have received. If it does not fully recover, your doctor can discuss with you the same treatments described earlier.