Lovehoney Partners with leading UK Cancer charity

At Lovehoney, we passionately believe that everyone is entitled to a happy and fulfilling sex life, so when we heard that there are tens of thousands of people in the UK ‘suffering in silence’ with serious concerns around sex following a cancer diagnosis, we knew we had to help!

That’s why we have teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support, one of the UK’s most-loved charities, to help strip off the silence around sex and intimacy and help those that need it access vital support.

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration for both Lovehoney and the cancer charity, we are getting under the covers on this often-stigmatised issue and ‘banging the headboard’ to raise awareness. We want to help people living with cancer and those around them manage their journey with a more empowered understanding and open dialogue around some of the challenges that they may face: Whether they are adapting to a changing body, managing physical symptoms or struggling emotionally with diminished libido or eroding self-confidence, we want to open up the conversation, providing insight on how sufferers can maintain their sexual satisfaction as they navigate their diagnosis and treatment. Because the ‘Big C’ and the Big ‘O’ don’t have to be mutually exclusive!

Not only do we want to reach the people living with cancer and those affected by it, however. No, we want to spread the message to the whole world that people living with cancer or other illnesses should not be excluded from sexual wellbeing and are deserving of their own sexual agency.

Over the next six months, we will be partnering with Macmillan to offer a candid look at the personal stories of a variety of individuals from all over the UK, as they share their unique experiences with sex and intimacy following a diagnosis.

We will also be offering expert insight from our trained Sexual Wellness Health Practitioners at both Lovehoney and Macmillan, giving those living with cancer and their loved ones the essential support that they need!

Crunching the Numbers on Sex and Cancer

• According to Macmillan's latest survey, almost a quarter (23 per cent) of people with cancer in the UK – equivalent to around 700,000 people – have serious concerns about sex, loss of libido or fertility as a result of their diagnosis or treatment[1].
• Among this group, almost two thirds of people are struggling with the physical effects of treatment on their ability to be intimate (62 per cent), one in three (34 per cent) feel less confident about themselves, and over a quarter (29 per cent) are concerned about their appearance or desirability.
• Despite this, fewer than half (39 per cent) of those who want help with concerns around sex or fertility have had any support, leaving tens of thousands of people with cancer trying to manage these issues themselves.

Meet the Macmillan storytellers

In the first video in our series, we meet Ellie who was diagnosed with cancer at just 14. She shares how she has navigated puberty and tried to establish her sex life amidst a wide variety of complications following her young diagnosis. More personal stories will be added to Macmillan's YouTube over the next couple of months, and will be reshared across our social channels.

Ali Alcock, a 46-year-old from North Wales who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in April 2015, is one of those sharing her personal story. She says of her experience that she “had so many questions about sex but felt like [she] had no one to ask. It’s just not a topic people discuss ... We need to be more open about this important topic and the very real impact cancer can have on people’s sex lives. It is not something to hide away from.”

Make a Difference Today!

Throughout the partnership, Lovehoney is raising funds for Macmillan’s vital work via donations on a specially curated list of our products. For every item included that is sold between March 14, 2024, and August 5, 2024, 10% of the sale price+VAT will be paid directly to Macmillan Cancer Support in support of their vital work. With Macmillan relying solely on donations, every pound counts! Shop the sale now.

Methodology & Sources

1 Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,099 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd January and 22nd January 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of people living with cancer in the UK (aged 18+). Survey question was as follows: “Have you had any concerns about any of the following issues in the last few weeks, which were caused or have been made worse by your experience of cancer? Please mark on the scale of 1-5, where 1 is 'not an area of concern' and 5 is 'an area of great concern'.” 23% of respondents gave a score of either 4 or 5 for either ‘Sex or fertility’ or ‘Loss of libido/ sexual needs’. ‘Around 700,000 people’ figure estimated by applying the 23% to the 3 million people living with cancer in the UK. 3 million figure sourced from: Macmillan Cancer Support. Cancer prevalence. Accessed February 2024.