Coping With Body Image and Self-Esteem Issues After Endometrial Cancer Treatment

Completing endometrial cancer treatment can bring mixed emotions. For some women, the treatment-related body changes become symbols of strength and survival. For others, they can bring feelings of self-consciousness or discomfort as they adjust to a new sense of self.

For many women, it’s the start of a new phase of healing. Your body might not feel like your own. Treatment side effects like scars, hair loss, or weight changes can be tough reminders of your diagnosis, and you may feel less confident or disconnected from your body.

It may seem like you’re alone in it, but many women have experienced body image and self-esteem issues after endometrial cancer treatment. Here’s what experts and a cancer survivor say can help you start feeling like yourself again.

How Endometrial Cancer Treatments Change Your Body

Here are the most common changes that can affect body image in women who have undergone endometrial cancer treatment.

Surgical Effects

For Heide Spence, a single mother of two children who was diagnosed with stage 1 endometrial cancer at age 36 and treated with a hysterectomy, the physical and emotional effects were hard to process. “Without having a piece of me, losing an organ that allowed me to give life, was a struggle that I had to begin to wrap my brain around,” says Spence, now an Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African Americans (ECANA) ambassador. “None of my friends could understand. Some were still having babies.”

Hormonal Changes and Early Menopause

Spence experienced sudden hormonal changes, which brought weight gain, mood swings, and depression. And being younger than most women with the diagnosis made her feel isolated, she says.

Weight Fluctuations

After treatment “I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted to eat whatever was easy, including junk food, but it didn’t help my emotional or mental state,” says Spence. She recalls how the weight kept gaining, and the unpredictable mood swings made everything more difficult.

Hair Loss and Skin Changes

As Spence was managing weight gain, her long, healthy hair was something she held onto for confidence. But when she started oral chemotherapy and her hair began coming out in clumps, it felt like losing another piece of herself. “That became another battle,” she says.

Sexual Adjustments

For some, intimacy becomes another area affected by treatment. “Women with endometrial cancer often express fear of sexual interactions,” says Priscilla Chang, PsyD, a postdoctoral psychology fellow in the department of supportive care medicine at City of Hope.

Spence admits to feeling frustrated and even angry about how cancer changed her confidence. “I was single, and I kept thinking, Who’s going to want me now? I was already struggling to feel like myself and trying to navigate the weight changes,” she says.

She remembers the uncertainty of deciding how much to share about her diagnosis when dating. She had to figure out when and how to explain what happened to her and hope the other person didn’t run in the opposite direction, she says. “It took time, but I realized that what happened to me didn’t just change my body, it changed my life. It also gave me a new sense of purpose,” Spence says.

Living With a Urostomy or Colostomy

How to Cope With Negative Self-Esteem or Body Image

Practice Self-Kindness

If you’ve experienced hair loss, learning how to use head wraps, hats, and scarves can help you feel more comfortable and express your personal style, Buttin says. Many insurance carriers, including Medicare, cover the cost of a hair prosthesis or wig during chemotherapy.

Spence learned that people struggling with body image often project their negative thoughts onto others. For her, a helpful counter to this was asking people close to her for words of affirmation. “I think people surprise us when we give them room to tell us how they feel,” she says.

Consider asking two or three people you trust to share two things you do well and two things you could improve on, she says. This can shift your perspective and help you see yourself in a kinder light, she adds. If the areas they mention for improvement align with what you see as negatives, work on them. If not, let them go, she says.

Reconnect With Your Body Through Movement

Spence knows that staying active isn’t always easy, especially when life feels overwhelming. But she’s learned the importance of maintaining discipline with exercise and not letting disruptions become excuses. It requires intention and commitment to take control of what you can manage, which is half the battle, she says.

Many cancer centers and community organizations offer movement classes for cancer survivors, or you can look for beginner classes at local community centers or online support networks for cancer survivors.

Seek Counseling From a Professional Therapist

Therapy helped Spence reframe how she looked at life and her diagnosis. “It helped me be more accountable for what I could control and do differently,” she says. She also found strength in her faith, reminding herself that while the journey wasn’t easy, it was worth it and helped her walk into her purpose.

To find licensed therapists, check with your insurance provider, then search for therapists specializing in chronic illness or cancer. You can also ask your cancer care team for recommendations.

Try Peer Support Groups

Peer support groups offer their own benefits by reducing isolation and connecting members with others who’ve had similar experiences can help them feel understood, says Folbrecht.

Spence’s work as an ECANA ambassador has shown her the power of sharing her story and focusing on raising awareness about endometrial cancer. She says that connecting with other survivors helps her turn her experience into purpose and reminds her that healing doesn’t mean going back to who you were but is more about growing into who you’re becoming.

Look for peer groups through your hospital’s patient navigation services, or search for an endometrial cancer support group online or on social media to connect with survivors and share resources.

Find Joy in Small Moments

It’s easy to get caught up in worrying about the future or what’s been lost. But focusing on small moments of joy can shift your mindset. Buttin encourages survivors to plan small things to look forward to, like spending time with a pet, connecting with family and friends, a weekend getaway, reading, watching a movie, or listening to your favorite song and singing along.

“Over time, many survivors learn to embrace each day as a gift and to live more in the moment,” she says.

Finding Support

Navigating body image and self-esteem struggles after endometrial cancer isn’t something you have to do alone. Here’s how to find support:

• Start with your cancer center or care team. Cancer centers often have oncology social workers or psychologists who specialize in supporting survivors. They may offer one-on-one counseling, virtual therapy sessions, or peer support groups focused on body image and emotional recovery. If you’re not sure where to begin, ask your oncology team or survivorship clinic for a referral.
• Look into online and community-based support groups. ECANA supports Black women with endometrial cancer through education, community, and advocacy. Share Cancer Support offers support groups and resources for women with gynecologic cancers. Resilient Sisterhood Project empowers women of African descent with information about reproductive health. National organizations like the American Cancer Society and CancerCare also offer support groups for anyone affected by cancer.
• Be intentional about finding connection. Spence believes that it’s important to take an active role in your own healing. That might mean joining a support group, talking with a counselor, or asking a friend to check in regularly. “When you start looking for support, you’ll begin to see it,” she says. She also emphasizes the importance of finding accountability partners, people who can help you stay on track with self-care and offer grace when you fall off. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need, she says.

The Takeaway

• Endometrial cancer treatments can bring visible and invisible changes to your body that can affect how you see yourself. These include surgical scars, hormonal shifts, weight changes, hair loss, and sexual adjustments.
• Healing involves both physical recovery and emotional care. Acts of self-kindness, gentle movement, and mindfulness can help you reconnect with your body and build confidence over time.
• Talking with a therapist and joining peer groups can help you work through difficult emotions, challenge unhelpful thoughts about your body, and develop healthier ways of seeing yourself.
• Support groups like those through ECANA and community programs can provide encouragement, understanding, and connection as you adjust to life after treatment.