Bladder cancer
Getting practical and emotional support can help you to cope with a diagnosis of bladder cancer. It can also help you with life during and after treatment. This section includes information on passing urine after treatment, sex and relationships, and helpful websites and books.
Coping with bladder cancer can be difficult. There are things you can do and people who can help you to cope.
After surgery to remove your bladder, you will learn to adapt to a new way of passing urine. This can affect your day to day life.
After having a urostomy, you pass urine through an opening (stoma) in your tummy. You wear a bag at all times to catch the urine.
After having your bladder removed, you might have an internal pouch to hold the urine. Your nurse will show you how to look after it.
After having a new bladder, you pass urine through your urethra, as you did before. But it feels different and you have to learn how to push out the urine.
Bladder cancer and its treatment can affect your sex life and relationships. There are some ways to cope with this.
Last reviewed: 03 Sept 2025
Next review due: 03 Sept 2028
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