Cancer Patients Who Are Infertile

Cancer does affect your fertility

Cancer survivor’s face problems of conceiving as depending upon the type of cancer, the reproductive organs are directly affected especially. If you are suffering from cancer that is close to your reproductive organs then chemotherapy and radiation both lead to infertility.

Cancer's affecting men

Men suffering from prostrate cancer or any other urinary bladder cancer are at a greater risk of losing out of their reproductive system. Most of the time the treatment mode is the removal of the cancer affected area and in some cases men have to remove their vital organs which include the glands, organs and vital tissues that produce sperms. In some cases the treatment prevents men from getting proper erections and may lose out on ejaculating.

Though radiation and chemotherapy stops the production of sperms they return to normal after the treatment is stopped.

Cancer's affecting females

Women suffering from cancer also face fertility problems. Radiation damages the ovaries and she no longer can produce the eggs and the main disadvantage of radiation and chemotherapy in women is that they stop producing eggs even after the treatment has stopped thus rendering them helpless.

Mode of treatment includes the removal of the ovarian glands, cervix or the uterus. Though some hormonal treatments leave behind side effects they improve after the treatment has stopped.

Understanding the treatment

Both men and women need to understand the damage that cancer and cancer treatment may cause regarding their fertility. If you are deciding on starting a family then you need to consult your doctor first and find ways to treat the cancer without nullifying your chance of reproducing.

In case you cancer is in the initial stage you can take some drugs but then if your in the advanced stage of cancer then all that you can do is to remove the affected part or organ. You may not be able to conceive in a natural way and may need to go in for fertility treatments or IVF way of conceiving.

What are the options opened for you

There are many options to help you to become a parent before you go in for your cancer treatment for e.g.

1. Sperm Banking: Sperm banks help you to preserve your sperms by freezing them up for future use.
2. Egg Collection: Your egg is harvested before you go in for cancer treatment and this egg can be fertilized by the way of IVF.
3. Embryo storing: You can have your fertilized embryo frozen in the lab which can be later on implanted in your uterus through IVF.
4. Storing ovarian tissue: In this case the ovarian tissue is removed and later on this tissue is put back thus avoiding any damage to the ovarian glands. The success rate is not high.
5. Donor options: In some cases due to the treatment the damage is already done to the sexual glands thus enduring helpless at such a time eggs and sperms are collected from donors and implanted into the uterus through IVF.

Assistance required?

The cost of the fertility treatment is high and does not have any cover policy. There are organizations like Fertile Hope that support financially infertile cancer patients to undergo infertility treatment. As cancer patients you need to speak with your doctor about your desire to start a family and seek the various options open to you before you go in for cancer treatment.