His and Her Health

In 1997 my wonderful husband began a long struggle against prostate cancer that had escaped into his body. Good doctors and improvements in treatments gave him 11 good years. I’ve learned much about how men identify their own masculinity and sexuality during my husband’s journey with prostate cancer. Until this cancer happened to us, I thought women were the gender with the most to lose in terms of their own sexual identity–though the aging process or things like breast cancer. Now I understand that both men and women have a complex relationship with our own gender and sexual roles.
I cherish my 35 + years of marriage and among many aspects of our relationship, I miss our sexual intimacy. I use sex toys, etc, to attain orgasms, however I ultimately find using them to be unsatisfying. I was wondering if there are women in this forum who have engaged in a “friendship with benefitsâ€Â

I think the answer depends a lot on the people involved. How do you feel about such an arrangement? Would this be an open arrangement? Does your friend have a relationship already, or are they "single"?

Maybe the toughest thing about such an arrangement in American society is that it is often judged harshly by others, seemingly a contradiction in this country which is supposed to be tolerant of individual lifestyles and freedom of expression.