title: Restoration of satisfying sex for a castrated cancer patient with complete impotence: a case study.
abstract: We present a first-hand account of a fully impotent, testosterone-suppressed prostate cancer patient who has satisfying, multiorgasmic sex using a strap-on dildo. We use his narrative to examine dildos as an alternative to erectile dysfunction treatments for men, such as this patient, who find selective inhibitors of PDE-5 ineffective and surgical intervention unacceptable. We explore what conditions allowed this man to progress from suspicious distrust of the dildo to full acceptance. In terms of making a dildo acceptable to other patients, we contrast offering it to them as a penile prosthesis in a formal medical setting versus treating it as a toy in fantasy sex play. Last, we present a neurobiological hypothesis involving sensory integration to help explain why sex with the strap-on dildo can be satisfying to a male.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Warkentin
authors.forename: Ross E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wassersug
mesh_terms: D003075:Coitus; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015917:Penile Prosthesis; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation; D010989:Play Therapy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery