Breasts, boobs, tits, bubbies: what happens when you lose them?

Breasts, boobs, bumpers, bongos, bazookas, human creativity in the naming of this part of the female body is endless.

The question is why, if they are so popular, we examine them so rarely? Breast self-examination has saved lots of lives. How about combining the pleasant with the useful and asking your partner for help?

Monika Łukasiewicz, MD, PhD, gynaecologist and sexologist

How does rehabilitation after breast removal work? What does a post-mastectomy woman have to deal with?

Breast cancer is a taboo subject despite the fact that it may affect one in eight women worldwide.

One of the most common cancers

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers women are most likely to face. Theoretically, the recognition of this disease is increasing, due to the fact that more and more women, being aware of the risk, regularly perform breast ultrasound and mammography.  However, there are still women who do not undergo any examination even for several years in a row.

Breasts: a symbol of femininity and a sexual organ  

Breasts have always been the part of the body associated with sexuality. Some women are even able to experience orgasm through breast stimulation. It is therefore an extremely sexual and erotic organ. Breasts are also a symbol of femininity, they make a woman feel attractive and desirable. They send a signal to the people around them that their owner is womanly and sexy and encourage them to pay attention to her.

Female warriors – thoroughly womanly 

When a woman loses her breast and does not yet have a prosthesis, and has often lost her hair after treatment, her sexuality declines very rapidly. She has to do a lot of work to accept herself as she is. She should also be given some tools to fight against the things that can be changed. She should be aware that wigs and breast prostheses are available but, above all, she should receive proper psychological support. A woman should also feel sexy in the new version of herself.

Rehabilitation of sexuality 

Of course, this can only happen when the fear of losing one’s life has passed. Recovering sexuality is the next stage of the rehabilitation after an illness. But the first step on this path is to come to terms with your cancer, to accept its very presence and to take up the fight against it. Only then may there be time to think about your sexuality. Nevertheless, this is a very important step in returning to normal. Very often I see that doctors do not want to talk about sexuality because they consider the threat to life to be the primary issue at the given point in time. Nowadays, however, cancer survival rates are very high and once the disease has passed, you need to be able to lead a normal life again. It is supposed to be successful and joyful, and sex is an integral part of it.