Infertility and other complications
People diagnosed with ovarian cancer may feel changes in their sex life, but some groups of people are at more risk. Research was done in 2020 that revealed the following people are at higher risk:
- People that were diagnosed at a younger age
- People that have had extensive surgery or chemotherapy
- People that live with anxiety or depression
Infertility is a major concern that is mostly caused by ovarian cancer. For people that wish to have children, it is always difficult to accept. According to the American cancer society, treatment for ovarian cancer usually involves removing the ovary or what is referred to as a bilateral oophorectomy.
Removing the ovaries causes estrogen [3] levels to drop, this can cause a decrease in sex drive, but not every time. The change in libido is heightened in women that have not gone through menopause. This is because ovary removal is also called surgical menopause.
In some cases, the uterus is completely removed (hysterectomy) [4] or the fallopian tube is removed (salpingectomy) [5]. Doctors recommend these surgical procedures if the cancer is severe or advanced.