This series consists of an introductory podcast for a large audience and four listening tutorials for affected women and their partners. In all five episodes, experts by experience and partners talk candidly about the challenges (former) breast cancer patients face when it comes to sexuality. Experts also give suggestions on how to deal with the rediscovery of an altered body, including professor of sexology and experiencer Ellen Laan who is internationally known for her research on female arousal.
Need
As breast cancer detection and treatment have improved in recent decades, the group of women with life after breast cancer is growing. With this, attention to quality of life after treatment is increasingly urgent. Breast surgery, chemotherapy and possibly hormone treatment affect women’s body and self-image, sense and experience of arousal and also the relationship with any partner. For many patients, and possible partners, the threshold for raising this issue with a treating physician appears to be high. Moreover, those around women who have been treated for breast cancer are mostly relieved that the treatment is over. Too little attention is often paid to the permanent consequences that have an impact on the quality of life, such as sexual symptoms, while there are certainly ways to learn to deal with these in a new way. The podcast series Rediscovering Herself pays attention to this important topic. In addition to (h)acknowledging the questions women may struggle with, professionals provide explanations and tips on the changes that can occur in sexuality and intimacy after breast cancer. The central themes are self-image and self-confidence, intimacy and relationships, and physical factors such as hormonal changes and fatigue.
Podcast series ‘The rediscovery of herself’
The podcast medium – radio on demand – lends itself perfectly to delving deeper into an intimate subject. The stories from experts by experience have a personal tone, and the explanations are more manageable than written material. The podcasts can be accessed freely through the standard podcast app on smartphones and downloaded from iTunes. In bed, in the bath, in front of the mirror or on the train; at any time they can be listened to individually, anonymously and attentively.
About the creators
The podcast series is an initiative of:
Tessa Steenbruggen, physician-researcher at Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (AVL). She is doing doctoral research here on long-term survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer. She sees in the clinic the impact of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment on the sexual experience of many women.
Lisanne Hummel, psychologist-researcher in AVL and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). She is pursuing her PhD on a study in AVL on the effectiveness of an online psychological treatment for sexual complaints in women treated for breast cancer and is conducting research in LUMC on the sexual functioning of gynecological cancer patients.
Gian van Grunsven, freelance journalist and programmer. She has been doing journalistic research on sex and sexuality for over five years. This resulted, among other things, in the live talk show Voorlichting voor Gevorderden, the theatrical conference SEXIETY (a.o. Oerol, De Parade), the cultural-historical podcast series Bedvogels at HUMAN/VPRO and this year her own theatrical lecture on coming out.
The podcast series was made possible in part by Memidis Pharma, Roparun and the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.
