Article Category: Educational

Finding comfort again: gentle vaginal dryness moisturizers after cancer 

If you’re facing vaginal dryness, painful sex or low libido after cancer treatment, please know this: you’re not alone and there is help. Many women treated with chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy (like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors) experience changes that make intimacy uncomfortable and painful, and understandably lower interest in sex, too. There are many moisturizers and treatments available that can give relief. With the right support and tools, healing and pleasure are possible again.   

Why Does Cancer Treatment Cause Vaginal Dryness?  

Estrogen keeps vaginal tissues healthy, elastic, and naturally lubricated. Cancer treatments can lower estrogen levels, or block the effect of estrogen making the vaginal walls thinner, drier and more fragile. This can lead to itching, burning or discomfort with everyday activities. For many women this means they now experience pain during sex and intimacy.  

These side effects are common but can be managed.  

Gentle, Effective Vaginal Dryness Treatments

There are several safe, research-based ways to soothe vaginal dryness and restore your comfort. Most of these options are non-hormonal, some are all natural and many are available without a prescription.  

1. Vaginal Moisturizers to Restore Everyday Comfort

Vaginal moisturizers work gradually to hydrate and protect delicate tissues. They’re used regularly (a few times a week) and help maintain your body’s natural moisture over time. Hyaluronic acid is a common ingredient in these products. While “acid” may sound harsh, it is a natural substance found in the body that holds in moisture and promotes cushioning.   

Trusted options include:  

  • Revaree – a hyaluronic acid suppository designed to rehydrate vaginal tissues  
  • Replens™ – long-lasting moisture support  
  • HYALO GYN® – hyaluronic acid-based care  
  • Carlson® Key-E® – vitamin E suppositories  
  • Natural choices  –  vitamin E oil or coconut oil*  

These products are especially helpful when used at bedtime. Because suppositories are inserted into your vagina, laying down keeps the applied treatment in place and lets your body absorb the moisture right where you need it while you sleep.   

If you’re in perimenopause, have entered menopause, or recently finished treatment, it’s normal to need 3–5 applications per week to feel relief.  

*Note: Coconut oil is more frequently used as needed during intercourse than as a maintenance treatment. Be aware that a downside to this lubricant is that it can weaken latex condoms and cause them to break.  

2. Vaginal Lubricants – For More Comfortable Sex and Intimacy

If you’re struggling with painful sex, vaginal lubricants can make a big difference. They’re designed to ease friction and make intimacy smoother and more pleasurable.  

Look for:  

  • Water-based lubricants  
  • Fragrance-free, color-free formulas  
  • Products without warming agents or spermicide  
  • Natural products such as olive or coconut oil 

Avoid petroleum-based products, which can irritate sensitive tissue and damage condoms.  

3. Revaree: Targeted Relief Without Hormones

Many patients prefer Revaree because it’s gentle, non-hormonal, and easy to use. This hyaluronic acid vaginal suppository works by delivering deep hydration directly where it’s needed inside the vagina.  

It’s available online without a prescription and can be a great choice if hormonal treatments aren’t right for you. There are other brands available over the counter as well. 

 4. Other Natural Moisturizing Options:

  • Vitamin E gel capsules (cut open and applied externally or internally)  
  • Coconut oil (soothing, natural, and widely available)  

These may offer mild, natural relief—especially for those looking to avoid commercial products.  

5. Hormonal Treatments (When Appropriate)

For some women, vaginal estrogen or other prescription treatments can be safe and effective, but it’s important to talk to your oncology team first, especially if your cancer was hormone-sensitive.

Prescription options may include:  

  • Vaginal DHEA 
  • Vaginal estrogen cream, tablets, or rings  
  • Ospemifene (a non-estrogen oral option)  
  • Prescription hyaluronic acid treatments  

Your care team can guide you on what’s safe for your unique situation.  

  6. Pelvic Floor Therapy & Emotional Support

If pain during sex continues, a referral to a pelvic floor physical therapist may help ease discomfort and rebuild muscle control. At Siteman we also encourage emotional and relationship support—because your healing is physical and emotional.  

 You Deserve Comfort, Intimacy and Pleasure

As a person who has been diagnosed with cancer, your body has been through a lot. It makes sense that you might feel discouraged or unsure about what comes next—especially when it comes to intimacy, but healing is possible.  

These vaginal dryness treatments—from Revaree and vaginal moisturizers to lubricants and gentle therapies—are here to support you as you move forward.  

Treatments to Explore for Vaginal Dryness

A table shows vaginal dryness moisturizers and treatments

‘This is Cancer’ Season 4: New stories of hope and perseverance

Siteman launches a new season of the award-winning podcast

​Morgan hadn’t reached her 45th birthday, so she hadn’t received a screening colonoscopy for colorectal cancer. But when she noticed unusual signs at age 41, she did exactly what she should have and sought medical evaluation.

Months of missteps turned into years of dismissive care, so Morgan realized it was time for a second opinion at Siteman Cancer Center, where she would soon receive leading-edge treatment for colorectal cancer, including a new approach to radiation therapy.

“To constantly be told that my pain was not as much as I said it was,” Morgan said about her experience before visiting Siteman. “I’m like, no, we need to talk about this more. I’m still having problems.”

Morgan’s story – which gets much more encouraging – kicks off the fourth season of “This is Cancer,” Siteman’s award-winning podcast.

Watch and hear Morgan’s story and past episodes here, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify– or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Every month through 2025, Siteman will drop a new episode exploring such topics as:

  • Being present as a parent while you, yourself, are undergoing cancer treatment
  • A new vaccine aimed at preventing the recurrence of one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer
  • New hope for children diagnosed with cancer
  • The secret life of men fighting cancer

In these episodes and more, patients and their loved ones, doctors and others affected by cancer will share their journeys – their gained wisdom, hard-earned knowledge, and vulnerabilities – to inform and encourage others in similar situations.

As Morgan says in the season 4 premiere (available here), persistence and her pursuit of the best care were key. With the support of her husband, Justin, and her Washington University physicians, including radiation oncologist Hyun Kim, MD, Morgan was able to course-correct her treatment plan so she could refocus on her future.

Said Kim, co-director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Program at Siteman:

“If the symptoms persist beyond just once or twice, if you’re having them for a couple of months, then you should say, ‘Oh, it wasn’t just a one-time thing.’ Secondly, patients need to advocate for themselves, which Morgan eventually did. And I think, as long as we keep those things in mind, then people will get the care that they need.”

Is a Nerve-Sparing Prostatectomy the Best Surgery for My Prostate Cancer?

No one ever wants to hear that they have cancer. The word brings many fears and questions to mind. Yet, when a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer, there are many treatment options available to him, treatments that expand beyond prostatectomy, a surgery performed on the prostate.

Is prostate cancer common?

Each year more than 280,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer according to the American Cancer Society. A conservative estimate is that one in eight men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in his lifetime. To catch prostate cancer in early stages men who are approaching age 50 are encouraged to discuss their prostate cancer risks including family history with their doctor. Many men begin to get screened starting at age 50 or older, and men who are at increased risk, like African American men or men who have family history of prostate cancer may seek out screening at even younger ages, sometimes starting around age 40 or 45. The majority of prostate cancer patients are age 65 or older when they are first diagnosed.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

In its early stages, there are no symptoms of prostate cancer.  As the disease progresses, men can experience a wide range of symptoms, including urinary symptoms or hip/back pain.  Men may rationalize these as a natural part of aging and fail to mention them to health care providers. Symptoms associated with both prostate cancer and a natural enlarging of the prostate gland include:

  • Difficulty empty their bladder, including a hard time starting to urinate and maintaining a steady stream of urine
  • Increased frequency urinating, especially at night

Symptoms that suggest a more concerning process may include:

  • Pain and burning when urinating
  • Pain when ejaculating
  • Seeing blood in urine
  • Seeing blood in semen and
  • Pain in the lower back, hips, and lower abdomen that is constant

While these symptoms may feel uncomfortable to mention to your doctor, they are important to report. They may indicate prostate cancer, may indicate an enlargement of the prostate, or may be an issue with another organ. Likely your provider will refer you to getting screened or will conduct a screening themselves.

How can I get screened for prostate cancer?

The first step in a screening for prostate cancer is very straightforward. It is a simple blood test called a prostate-specific antigen test, or PSA test for short. Because it is a blood test, it will involve a needle prick but doesn’t require fasting for an accurate reading. Your blood can have low, normal, or elevated PSA levels. An elevated PSA level in the blood means there are higher levels of a protein the prostate makes in the body. This elevated PSA can happen for a few different reasons, so a few other tests may be required to see if this higher PSA level could be because of prostate cancer. If the PSA is higher, your doctor may want to order an ultrasound or do an exam that they can conduct during an office visit. The purpose of the digital (gloved hand) rectal exam is to assess the size of the prostate and feel for any abnormal nodules or bumps that may indicate prostate cancer. Read more about prostate cancer screenings on GetScreenedNow.com.

How could prostate cancer impact me every day?

Aside from the initial concern of hearing a cancer diagnosis, many men don’t just worry about surviving, they also have quality of life questions for during and after treatment. It’s very common to wonder, “how will I pee after a prostatectomy?” or “can I still get an erection if the prostate is removed?” These are very understandable questions about how the diagnosis and treatment will impact day-to-day activities. Advances in prostate cancer detection, treatment, and post-treatment survivorship have greatly improved patient outcomes over the past few decades. Many men are treated for prostate cancer and subsequently live cancer-free with a full quality of life.  When diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is important for men to speak with a urologist to discuss treatment options and the personalized impact these treatments may have.

What are some prostate cancer treatment options?

Today there are many prostate cancer treatment options to consider after a diagnosis. Surgery is not a given, in fact some approaches involve purposefully waiting to see how the cancer develops. Different treatments can also be combined for a unique-to-you plan. The standard options for prostate cancer treatment at Siteman include:

  • Active surveillance and watchful waiting
  • Focal therapy
  • Surgery (includes nerve-sparing prostatectomy and other surgical approaches)
  • Radiation therapy
  • Systemic therapy

Will a nerve-sparing prostatectomy protect my sex life?

Unlike the past, where a prostate cancer diagnosis and surgery removing the prostate meant impotence, today, physicians specialize in nerve-sparing prostatectomy approaches. There are multiple approaches that surgeons can take that try to protect the nerve bundles located on both sides of the prostate. While those approaches vary from surgeon to surgeon, they are each considered to be a nerve-sparing prostatectomy. Any surgery on the prostate does open up the possibility for nerves to be damaged during the surgery itself or while healing. But when planning the surgical approach, the cancer’s location, and other factors, and the patient’s desire for maintained sexual health and function are all considerations.

Self-advocacy in cancer care is important and welcome. Often patients request a nerve-sparing prostatectomy from their physician following a prostate cancer diagnosis. This is an excellent preference to voice to your physician, but a nerve-sparing prostatectomy may not even be necessary when looking at the medical history and factors about the cancer itself. Experts at Siteman Cancer Center will be able to make a well-informed recommendation on what kind of care is needed. A nerve-sparing prostatectomy is a kind of surgery and because of medical advances, sometimes, surgery for prostate cancer is not needed at all. For instance, radiation or a systemic therapy could be options that lead to a cancer-free future without undergoing surgery.

Can a nerve-sparing prostatectomy impact my fertility?

Nerve-sparing prostatectomy or any other kind of surgery on the prostate can potentially impact male fertility since the gland plays an important role in the production of semen. Because prostate cancer is more prevalent in men who are older than 60, it may not impact your life goals. But for some men, family planning and fertility are important considerations when creating a treatment plan. There are several options and resources to consider. If your care is taking place at Siteman Cancer Center, you can request a referral to the Infertility and Reproductive Medicine Center at WashU. Even if you aren’t getting care at Siteman, you can become a new patient at the Center to explore your options.

How is prostate cancer care advancing?

At Siteman Cancer Center experts are driving the standard of care forward through multidisciplinary care. Depending on the case, patients may receive a combination of different interventions like radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. Or newer interventions like focal therapy and proton beam therapy or systemic therapies like hormone therapy and immunotherapy may be what your oncologist feels are best. Taking a team approach with combined expertise and specialties open up many possible plans based on every patient’s specific cancer and life circumstance. Clinical trials for prostate cancer are also ongoing at Siteman. These trials are shaping the next phase of research-based cancer care.

You can ask your doctor about these advances, or request an appointment at Siteman for a consultation. Getting a second opinion about your care is always an option available to you at any stage of your journey.