Sexuality in the Context of Prostate Cancer Narratives

Abstract

In this study we explored how men diagnosed with prostate cancer experienced their sexuality from a lifeworld perspective. One essential meaning was identified: “having the elixir of life stolen.” This essential meaning had four constituents: “something that no longer exists,” “the threat to manhood,” “intimacy,” and “staged manhood.” The lifeworld for these men comprised the dynamic interaction between being deprived of their “life’s elixir” and their ability to have and experience intimacy. The men were preoccupied with embodied experiences unfamiliar to them. They mourned the loss of sexuality in connection with their new life situation that threatened their identity. Their female partner was a great support, and with her the man could picture himself and at best renegotiate his sexuality. In the future, cancer care should be organized so as to enable all aspects of sexuality to be acknowledged and discussed.