External beam radiotherapy for womb cancer can cause side effects which may happen during treatment, shortly after, or much later. Early side effects (also called acute) usually occur during or soon after treatment. Since everyone is different, it’s hard to predict exactly when side effects will start, how long they will last, or how severe they might be. If you’re worried about anything, it’s best to talk to your treatment team.
You may experience side effects or symptoms not listed here, as every person and treatment is different. These symptoms may also be caused by other parts of your cancer treatment. Research and support for managing radiotherapy side effects is improving.
Key information: Since your uterus (womb) and/or ovaries are located near the treatment area, this will affect your ability to have children. It’s important to inform your consultant as soon as possible if you have any thoughts or plans regarding starting a family. They can provide advice on your options based on your individual situation. This is a sensitive topic, and you may not have all the answers right now. However, discussing it early is crucial so you can explore options and make informed decisions.
Joining a support group can be a helpful way to share your experiences, feel less isolated, and cope with the physical and emotional effects of treatment. If you need extra support or experience any side effects, talk to your treatment or clinical team.
This page looks at early side effects.
How likely am I to get early side effects?
Before treatment you will discuss and sign a consent form with your clinical oncologist or therapeutic radiographer. They will tell you what to expect, and you can ask questions and discuss any concerns you have about side effects.
When you consent to treatment, you are saying you understand that you have a chance of getting early and late side effects. Your team will use words like Expected, Common, Less Common and Rare.
This table shows what these words mean.
| Wording on the consent form | % chance of side or late effect | How many patients will get this? |
| Expected | 50 to 100% | Between half and all patients |
| Common | 10 to 50% | Up to half of all patients |
| Less common | Less than 10% | Fewer than one in ten patients |
| Rare | Less than 1% | Fewer than one in 100 patients |
Early side effects (during or soon after treatment)
- Early Menopause: This is a certain side effect of treatment that may start during or shortly after radiotherapy, stopping egg and hormone production.
- Infertility: After radiotherapy, you will not be able to carry a pregnancy, so using contraception during vaginal sex is very important.
- Feeling very tired (fatigue): You may feel very tired during and after treatment, even with plenty of rest. This can be due to the cancer, the treatment, or daily travel to the hospital.
- Effects on the bladder: In the second half of your treatment, you might need to go to the toilet more often (known as frequency). You might find you have a sudden urge to go for a wee (known as urgency). You may also feel a stinging or burning when you wee. Some days, this might feel worse, especially if you’re getting extra fluids if having chemotherapy at the same time.
- Effects on the bowels: You might get more wind, cramps and pain in your abdomen, or loose, watery poo. You may notice a slight change in how your bowels work. It is expected that you will need to poo more often (frequency) and might need to get to the toilet quickly (urgency). Radiotherapy can affect parts of your bowels that are close to the treatment area. Less common symptoms are rectal pain and discomfort.
- Vaginal Symptoms: You might experience dryness, discharge, pain, discomfort, or itchiness.
- Sexual changes: Some side effects will make penetrative sex painful. Speak to your treatment team about using dilators to help with vaginal health.
- Sickness (nausea): If the radiotherapy treatment includes the abdomen it is you may experience feeling sick and being sick. Talk to your treatment team to find out if this applies to you.
- Skin reactions: You might notice a change in colour, swelling, itching, or changes in the texture of your skin where you’re treated. People with lighter skin tones might experience colour changes such as pink, red or darker than the surrounding area. People with brown and black skin tones might have colour changes such as maroon, purple, yellow or grey pigment changes. Or the skin can look darker than the surrounding area. These changes usually improve after treatment, but this can take 4 to 6 weeks in some cases.
- Hair loss: You might lose hair in the area where you are treated. Often, this grows back over time. Do not wet shave whilst on treatment.
- Heavy Bleeding: This is very rare but can happen. Tell your team straight away as this may need further treatment.
How to feel better during or soon after treatment
Here are some ideas you can try to make you feel better.
- Resting: Get lots of sleep and take breaks if you feel tired.
- Bowel Care: Seek professional advice on what foods and drinks to consume. You can also take medication for diarrhoea and nausea if needed. Let your treatment team know about any changes.
- Bladder Care: Drink lots of fluids, and inform your doctor or treatment team if you experience pain when weeing.
- Drinking fluids: Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water or squash, this helps with fatigue and tiredness. It also helps to flush out toxins caused by treatment. If you don’t like plain water, try diluted juice.
- Skin reactions: Your treatment team can recommend creams to soothe your skin. If your skin breaks down, you may need extra care. Wear loose clothing and keep treatment area out of the sun. Talk to your team about how to wash and care for your skin during treatment. You might have to change your normal routine during treatment and for a short time after, especially if you have a radiation induced skin reaction.
- Vaginal Care: Talk to your doctor or treatment team about managing dryness, discomfort and bleeding.
- Dilators: These are cone shaped plastic objects that you place into your vagina to help prevent narrowing of the vagina. Ask your treatment team about them and when you should start using them.
- Keeping active: Gentle movement can help you feel better, both during and after treatment. Your treatment team can guide you on safe activities.
- Alcohol use: Please follow the NHS guidelines on safe drinking levels and any instructions you get from your team on what is right for you, your diagnosis and your treatment. If in doubt, please ask your team.
- Stop smoking: If you are looking to stop or reduce smoking, there are services available to help you. Please see the links at the bottom of this page for more information.
Learn more about late effects by clicking this link.
Further information
Learn more about sex and cancer here:
Pelvic radiotherapy for women | Sexuality and cancer | Cancer Research UK
The Pelvic People – We’re on a mission to end painful sex
Sex and cancer | Impact on your sex life and relationships | Macmillan Cancer Support
Learn more about side effects and support here:
Pelvic Radiation Disease Association
Learn more about radiotherapy consent forms here:
https://www.rcr.ac.uk/our-services/management-service-delivery/national-radiotherapy-consent-forms/
Learn more about radiation skin reactions here:
Learn more about managing cancer fatigue:
Managing and treating cancer fatigue | Cancer Research UK
Cancer-related fatigue | NHS inform
Advice on reducing alcohol use:
Drink less – Better Health – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
NHS stop smoking services:
NHS stop smoking services help you quit – NHS
