Understand · Sex + Relationships
The short answer on low sex drive after breast cancer
Low sex drive after breast cancer is common and has real causes: hormone therapy, early menopause, fatigue, pain, worry, depression, body changes and some medicines. For many women desire returns after recovery, but not always. Desire often follows arousal rather than coming first, so making time to be close can help. If it bothers you, a sex therapist can too.
What to know about sex drive after breast cancer
- It is the most common sexual problem. Low desire is the one people with cancer report most.
- Desire often comes second. Many women feel interest only once they are relaxed and touched.
- Medicines can play a part. Including some antidepressants, which can also interact with tamoxifen.
- Orgasm can take new routes. Vibrators, fantasy and new positions can help.
Part of Babette's series on sex after breast cancer.
Why has my sex drive disappeared after breast cancer?
Low desire is the sexual problem people with cancer report most, according to a UK guide by sex therapists and cancer nurses. The American Cancer Society (ACS) lists the usual reasons: worry, depression, fatigue, pain, nausea, changes in how you look and hormone therapy. For most people, it says, desire returns after recovery, but not always.
Does desire have to come before sex?
No. Presenters at a 2024 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) meeting described a model in which many women start sex feeling neutral and become interested once they're relaxed and touched. Waiting to feel spontaneous desire before doing anything can mean waiting a long time. The UK guide suggests deliberately planning time together, without expecting it to lead to sex.
Can antidepressants lower sex drive after breast cancer?
Some can dampen desire or orgasm. Some can also make tamoxifen less effective, Pharmacy Times reports, citing the National Cancer Institute. If you take both, ask your oncologist or pharmacist, and don't stop either one on your own.
How can you make orgasm easier after breast cancer treatment?
The ACS suggests using fantasy to build arousal and quiet distracting thoughts, using a vibrator (with water-based lubricant if the toy is silicone), trying positions with more direct clitoral stimulation, changing the position of your legs, and tightening and relaxing your pelvic muscles in time with your breathing. If problems continue, a sex therapist can help.
NCCN presenters also pointed to mindfulness: paying attention to sensations in the moment, without judging them. They cited a review in which mindfulness-based programs improved sexual function in five of six studies in breast cancer.
Questions to ask your clinician about low sex drive
- Could my hormone therapy or another medicine be lowering my desire?
- Is any of my medication interacting with my cancer treatment?
- Could depression or anxiety be part of this, and what help is there?
- Can you refer me to a sex therapist or a mindfulness-based program?
More from Babette on sex after breast cancer
- Why Does Breast Cancer Treatment Change Your Sex Life?
- What Helps Vaginal Dryness After Breast Cancer?
- Is Vaginal Estrogen Safe After Breast Cancer?
- Why Does Sex Hurt After Breast Cancer?
- How Do You Talk About Sex After Breast Cancer?
- Is It Safe to Have Sex During Breast Cancer Treatment?
- Sex and Intimacy After Breast Cancer, by founder Jasmine Jones
Sources: American Cancer Society, Managing Sexual Side Effects as a Woman with Cancer (accessed October 2026); Ballinger, Reese and Ratner, Issues with Sexuality and Sexual Function in Patients with Breast Cancer, National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2024 Breast Cancer Congress (February 2, 2024); Kariyawasam-Chavez, Breast Cancer Treatment Ends, But The Medication Questions Don't, Pharmacy Times (October 18, 2026); Brandenburg, Grover and Quinn, Intimacy & Sexuality for Cancer Patients and their Partners (UK, 2010). This article is general information, written in Babette's own words, and is not a substitute for advice from your care team.
