Abstract
Cervical cancer has one of the highest survival rates of any cancer type. Women are usually diagnosed at early stages and treated locally, allowing for the maintenance of optimal quality in most areas of life. Because the disease targets organs associated with reproduction, however, sexuality and fertility are not spared. Even though the cancer is eliminated, its psychological impact intrudes into a woman's idea of what it means to be feminine, sexual, and generatively powerful in the world. Sadly, the women who are most likely to survive cancer at a youthful age are often physically healthy but plagued by sexual side effects for the remainder of their lives. Dyspareunia (painful intercourse) is one of the most common sexual symptoms in cervical cancer survivors. Dyspareunia results from damage to vaginal tissue and reshaping of the vagina secondary to surgery and radiation. When ovarian function is curtailed by treatment, hormonal dysregulation associated with menopause also leads to dyspareunia, if untreated. Like the cancer, dyspareunia carries an impact beyond that which is physically palpable. The heightened awareness of the vagina, which may never have emerged notwithstanding dyspareunia, often precipitates an unexpected exploration of the deeply personal meaning a woman attaches to her sexual self. These sexual self-images vary depending on the attributions placed on having withstood unanticipated, albeit lifesaving, alteration to genitalia. Intimate relationships may also be profoundly affected. This article presents two cases that detail the sexual aftermath of cervical cancer and gradual sexual rejuvenation that occurs when psychosocial and medical interventions to treat dyspareunia are implemented.