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Fertility preservation: Understand your options before cancer treatment
Content
How does cancer treatment affect fertility?
When should I talk to my doctor about fertility preservation?
How can women preserve fertility before cancer treatment?
What can men do to preserve fertility before cancer treatment?
What can parents do to preserve the fertility of a child who has cancer?
Can fertility preservation interfere with successful cancer therapy or increase the risk of recurring cancer?
Can cancer treatment increase the risk of health problems in children conceived afterward?
How do I determine the best fertility preservation option for me?
How does cancer treatment affect fertility?
Certain cancer treatments can harm your fertility. The effects might be temporary or permanent. The likelihood that cancer treatment will harm your fertility depends on the type and stage of cancer, the type of cancer treatment, and your age at the time of treatment. Cancer treatments and their effects might include:
- Surgery. Fertility can be harmed by the surgical removal of the testicles, uterus or ovaries.
- Chemotherapy. The effects depend on the drug and the dose. The most damage is caused by drugs called alkylating agents and the drug cisplatin. Younger women who receive chemotherapy are less likely to become infertile than are older women.
- Radiation. Radiation can be more damaging to fertility than chemotherapy, depending on the location and size of the radiation field and the dose given. For example, high doses of radiation can destroy some or all of the eggs in the ovaries.
- Other cancer medications. Hormone therapies used to treat certain cancers, including breast cancer in women, can affect fertility. But the effects are often reversible. Once treatment stops, fertility might be restored.
