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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?
What can parents do to preserve the fertility of a child who has cancer?
Fertility should be discussed with children treated for cancer as soon as they are old enough to understand. Your consent and your child's might be required before a procedure can be done.
If your child has begun puberty, options might include oocyte or sperm cryopreservation.
Girls who have cancer treatment before puberty can opt for ovarian tissue cryopreservation. During this procedure, ovarian tissue is surgically removed, frozen and later thawed and reimplanted.
One method being researched to preserve fertility in boys who have cancer treatment before puberty is a procedure in which testicular tissue is surgically removed and frozen.