Sex life after treatment..

Beau Chapeau said:

Protection needed? are partners at risk?

No and No. 

More than 80% of sexually active women and more than 90% of sexually active men will acquire  HPV in  their lifetime. 
If one partner has been exposed then the other has too  

Only some strains of HPV are implicated in OPSCC and most people throw off an infection. Only in some doses the virus persist and only some of those persistent infections cause cancer 

Beau Chapeau said:

Pain discomfort?

Well certainly in your mouth for a while. 
I must say I have given up that aspect of my sex life…. Sorry too much info. 

Hi

It is a somewhat delicate/taboo subject for some....Macmillan site has a section dedicated to it.....Sex and cancer | Impact on your sex life and relationships | Macmillan Cancer Support

From a personal point of view .......during and post treatment I had little interest in sex....totally focused on battling the side effects and on recovery....sleeping in separate beds....however when we did think it was safe and appropriate we stopped sleeping apart and returned to enjoying a wee cuddle in the same bed....we have been together for 45 years ...married for 43....old habits do not just go away.  age 70 (and 66)

Peter

There are a couple of useful leaflets available from the mouth cancer foundation 

https://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mouth-cancer-facts-poster-hpv-final-croped.pdf

https://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mouth-cancer-foundation-information-leaflet-final-croped.pdf

TBH, as a 'Boomer' I was unaware of HPV, and it was a rather uncomfortable conversation when I had to tell my wife that HPV+ was the cause of my cancer.. So we still have a way to go in highlighting the realties of our situation.. 

To be truthful the whole shattering episode left me exhausted and fragile; too fragile to even consider sex for a considerable time. There is a significant mental element too

We never gave sexually transmitted HPV a second thought .....we never even discussed it....maybe niave.....a generational thing?...

HPV16+?....as the world opens up to and becomes more aware of different sexually active groups maybe it is something that needs to put into the education system....forearmed is forewarned.

well, it seems to be more widely acknowledged these days, with vaccines being offered in schools, but as a whole there's still more to be done as far as information is concerned.

Hi Dani has given a great explanation. 80% of the world’s  population has the hpv virus only a tiny percentage of us don’t get rid of the virus then an even tinier % it turns to cancer. The  way forwards  it is for the HPV vaccine to be taken up more than it is at the moment. Pre-Covid vaccination rates were up in the high 80s now they’re hovering around 50% for both boys and girls and why I’m always banging on about the HPV vaccine program, I’m involved in an awareness campaign next week the 4th of March is HPV Wednesday so if you’ve got grandchildren approaching year eight in schools have a conversation with the parents about the importance of the vaccine that’s me off my soap  Box have a good day

hugs Hazel 

RadioactiveRaz said:

have a conversation with the parents about the importance of the vaccine that’s me off my soap  Box

Stay on that soap box please. 
I know Oracle have a petition going to lobby various government departments but in three months it has amassed just over a thousand signatures. 
More than 12000 cases of oral and oropharyngeal cancer are diagnosed every year, of which 80% are due to HPV.
Something isn’t connecting 

Stay on that soap box Hazel. 
I know that Oracle have set up a p etition to lobby various government departments to raise awareness of the vaccine. 
In three months it has garnered just over 1000 signatures. 
12000 cases of oral and oropharyngeal cancer are diagnosed every year and 80% are HPV driven. 
Something isn’t connecting.