Cancer and certain cancer treatments, can disturb your reproductive health. It could be worth it to consider ways of preserving your fertility before you begin your treatment. When you are told that you have cancer, your ability to have children may be the outermost thing of your mind. Whether you already have children or haven’t yet thought about becoming a parent, it is worth thinking about your fertility before starting some forms of cancer treatment.
Cancer treatments that can affect your fertility include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery on your reproductive organs, including the ovaries or testicles. Hormone therapies and other treatments may also have an impact on fertility, but less is known about the effects of these treatments. It can be difficult to know what the effects of the cancer treatment will be until much later. Many people who are treated for cancer, especially those treated for cancer as children, remain fertile and go on to have a family of their own in later life. Some find that their fertility is affected for a short time and then recovers when treatment has finished, but others find that their fertility is affected for longer. It often depends on your individual circumstances, such as your age, the treatment you receive, where in your body the cancer is and whether you are male or female.
Women and fertility
If you’re a woman of childbearing age, cancer treatments can affect your fertility by:
• stopping you from producing certain hormones
• stopping your ovaries from working and therefore causing an early menopause
• damaging the lining of your womb
• involving surgery to remove your womb
Men and fertility
Cancer treatments can affect your fertility by:
• stopping, or interfering with, the production of sperm
• affecting the production of testosterone or other hormones involved with sexual function
• damaging nerves and blood vessels in your pelvic area, which can make it difficult to get an erection or ejaculate
Fertility treatment
If either your fertility or your ability to have sex has been affected by your cancer or a cancer treatment, you may want to try a fertility treatment to help you conceive.
If you are considering having fertility treatment, speak to your GP first. If you have private fertility treatment, the cost will vary from clinic to clinic.
Your GP will be able to arrange some tests and refer you to a specialist fertility doctor. The specialist will be able to give you information and advice about the most appropriate fertility treatments for you.
Types of fertility treatment include the use of:
• In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
• Your frozen sperm, embryos, eggs or ovarian tissue
• donated sperm, eggs or embryos
Getting support
Trying for a family and finding out whether or not you’re fertile can be stressful. If you’re finding any of these issues difficult, you may find that it helps to talk to someone. Consider discussing your feelings with your family, your partner, a friend or your cancer specialist. Some people find that fertility treatments do not suit them or don’t work. If this is the case, there are other options for having a family, such as adoption or surrogacy.
There is a lot to think about if you’re considering any of these options, so talk them through with someone close to you or your doctor, or contact one of the organisations below for specific information and advice.