People growing up have different experiences about how openly or easily sex and relationships are talked about. Our sex lives are usually private and not always discussed with many people.
Some teenagers and young adults find it easy to talk to their parents, friends, girlfriends or boyfriends about sex, but many don’t. And of course parents may not know how much their son or daughter knows about sex anyway.
Families also differ in the way that they talk with children about becoming parents. In some families and communities, there may be an expectation that all adults will become parents, so some people may react negatively to those who don’t have children. In other families there is a more relaxed attitude and it’s made clear to children as they grow up that the choice rests with them.
Many people still don’t understand that cancer and its treatment can affect you sexually and can affect fertility. People around you can sometimes be insensitive without realising it. Even people who do understand can find it difficult to talk about the issue if they don’t know what to say, feel powerless to make it better or want to believe that everything is fine.
It can sometimes be especially difficult to talk in depth with people close to you, especially if you find that they get easily upset.
Some families and communities don’t accept the use of medical assistance in getting pregnant – for example, some religions don’t approve of certain fertility treatments. This can be difficult to cope with if you would like to consider these treatments but worry that it would be disapproved of.
