Fertility Issues for Men After Cancer Treatment
From the DFCI/NCCN Survivorship Information
TM
Cancer treatment saves the lives of many men, but it may affect their ability to have children later on. This usually happens because radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery affect the way the body makes sperm.
Although most cancer survivors will be able to father children, those who had the following treatments will have a higher risk of fertility issues:
- chemotherapy – specifically, high doses of alkylating agents such as:
- cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)
- ifosfamide
- procarbazine
- melphalan
- total body irradiation with a bone marrow transplant
- radiation to the testicles or lower abdomen
- high-dose radiation or surgery to the brain (excluding leukemia)
- surgery to the testicles or the area near the prostate
Because each person is different, no one can know for certain how your cancer treatment will affect your fertility. You can learn more by:
- • Asking your health care provider about the treatments you received for your cancer, and how they can affect fertility.
- • Arranging for a blood test.
- • Asking for a referral to a fertility specialist.
- • Having a sperm analysis. This is a very specific test that counts the number of sperm and measures how active they are. (Note: Even if your sperm count is low, you should not have unprotected sex if you don’t want to risk a pregnancy.)
If you learn that your cancer treatment has affected your sperm, you may still be able to father children by using fertility therapies. Sperm banking is the best way to protect a man’s fertility. Men who have a low sperm count or issues with the quality of the sperm can benefit from intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI. ICSI allows a single sperm to be used to fertilize an egg. Your health care provider can give you a referral to a doctor who specializes in fertility therapies.
If you father a child, there is no evidence that your cancer or the cancer treatment you had will put him or her at risk for cancer or birth defects.
|