Cancer and cancer treatment may affect fertility in women and men. So, if a young person gets cancer, fertility preservation is a wise decision. This way, they can conceive naturally if they feel like becoming a parent after defeating cancer. Would you like to know more about fertility preservation in cancer patients? Then scroll down to find out why and how it’s done.

Fertility Preservation in Female Cancer Patients

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, chemotherapy drugs can adversely affect female fertility in young women. Cancers that affect girls of reproductive age have a greater risk of decreasing their fertility levels. So, doctors advise fertility preservation in breast cancer patients. cervical cancer patients, uterine cancer patients, and ovarian cancer patients.

If you have an interest in fertility preservation, scroll down to explore fertility preservation services for female patients with cancer.

1. Ovarian Suppression

Ovarian suppression is an interesting technique to shield ovaries during cancer treatment. Injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone can put the ovaries to sleep for a brief period. That’s because when this hormone drug is injected, the individual goes into a temporary menopause.

If your doctor recommends ovarian suppression, make sure to take the injection a week before your first chemotherapy session. Keep in mind that if your chemo continues, GnRH should be injected once every 3-4 weeks. Then your ovaries will get sufficient protection from chemotherapy’s harmful effects.

Note: As you will experience temporary menopause, don’t panic if you notice menopause symptoms such as hot flashes.

2. Freezing Eggs

Freezing eggs is a preferred way of fertility preservation in ovarian cancer​ and for patients with breast cancer.

It’s a simple procedure and many celebs and career-oriented women choose to freeze their eggs in their late 20s and early 30s. Cancer patients, especially the ones with ovarian cancer, can freeze their eggs before the commencement of their cancer treatment.

First, the doctor will give drugs for ovarian stimulation. Ovaries will make high-quality eggs and the doctor will collect the eggs to freeze them. Whenever you are ready, those eggs can be fertilized in a lab or naturally by having intercourse.

3. Freezing Ovarian Tissue

Another option for fertility preservation in endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer is removing one of the ovaries surgically.

If cancer affects one ovary and the other is perfectly fine, chemotherapy and strong cancer medication can still cause potential damage to the healthy ovary. For women with cancer, a small operation can remove the ovary by freezing it in a lab. This advanced method is known as ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Once the cancer treatment is over, the tissue is put back into the womb.

4. Freezing Embryos

To freeze your embryos, a fertility specialist will administer drugs for the stimulation of the ovaries. Ovarian stimulation will result in egg production and then the eggs will be collected. In a laboratory, the doctor will fertilize the eggs by bringing them in contact with donor sperm or the woman’s partner’s sperm. This process is termed embryo creation and then they freeze the embryo. Later, the embryo can be returned to the womb through IVF (in vitro fertilization).

Fertility Preservation in Male Cancer Patients

The testis is highly susceptible to the harmful effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for both young cancer patients and adult cancer patients. So, male cancer patients may preserve their fertility in the following ways:

1. Sperm Cryopreservation

Sperm banking, sperm freezing, or sperm cryopreservation involves keeping the sperm in a frozen condition for future use. Frozen sperm can be kept for decades, and it can be used for procedures such as intrauterine insemination (abbreviated as IU). It’s the most reliable method of fertility preservation in male cancer patients.

2. Freezing Testicular Tissue

If a boy gets diagnosed with cancer and he’s not old enough to produce sperm, cancer treatment can still affect his fertility levels when he grows up. There is an experimental option that involves removing tissues from the testicles and freezing the tissues for later use.

When the person is completely cured and becomes an adult, the preserved tissue could be used if he is infertile. The tissue pieces could be placed into the testicles, thus increasing the chances of more sperm production.

However, it’s a risky process and very few fertility treatment centers perform this procedure. Moreover, till now, no live birth has taken place through this process. So, more research needs to be done to confirm that tissue freezing can result in successful births for cancer survivors.

The Bottom Line

Advances in the detection of cancer and treatment processes in the past few years have vastly improved the survival rates for young cancer patients. Moreover, being diagnosed with cancer is not the end of the world and not all cancers are deadly if detected at an early stage.

So, don’t let cancer stand in your way of becoming a parent and enjoying a fulfilling life. Discuss with your oncologist the best way to preserve your fertility and get well soon.

References

All our articles contain reliable information as we take references from resources published by reputed institutions.

Fertility preservation in female cancer patients: An overview – PMC

Preserving Fertility in Females with Cancer | American Cancer Society

Women’s fertility and chemotherapy | Cancer Research UK

Preserving Fertility in Males with Cancer | American Cancer Society