Fertility And Cancer: 10 Things You Should Know

A woman’s ability to conceive can be affected by cancer in many ways. During the treatment of cancer – an unintended pregnancy can be a big problem. Whereas, after the treatment, it may lead to infertility. Especially for patients looking to have babies, this can be very heartbreaking. 

The good news is, new advances in reproductive science are offering hope. Now, there are more options for cancer patients that want to grow their family.

As a leading fertility clinic in Orange County, CA, we recognize that egg freezing is a favorite option for Intended Parents before they start their cancer treatment to avert the risks.

1. Can cancer treatment make you infertile?

Well, this depends on the type of cancer treatments. While most cancer treatments have no effect on the patient’s fertility, some can result in infertility. The cancer treatments that affect fertility include certain types of chemotherapy, radiation to the pelvis, and the abdominal area. Moreover, cancer treatment may require surgery involving the removal of the patient’s reproductive organs. Researchers don’t know if and how newer cancer treatments may impact fertility. 

2. How will cancer treatment affect my fertility?

How cancer treatment impacts your fertility depends on a number of factors. This includes your age, your present fertility status, and the type of treatment you get. While some people may be infertile for a short time, others may be permanently infertile. The physicians at our fertility clinic in Orange County can help you evaluate your individual risk as well as consider fertility preservation options such as egg freezing, embryo freezing, and sperm preservation.

3. How long do I need to prevent pregnancy during cancer treatment?

When you are undergoing cancer treatment, you need to abstain from sex. Alternatively, you should use a condom or any other reliable form of contraceptive. You should also try not to conceive within six months of completing chemotherapy. This is because it can increase your chances of having a miscarriage or giving birth to a baby with a genetic defect.

4. How long should I wait to conceive after cancer treatment?

You and your health care team have to sit down and have a thoughtful discussion to determine when it is okay for you to conceive. The timing varies based on the patients and the types of cancer. Women should not try to get pregnant until at least two years after undergoing cancer treatment. This will give you adequate time to get beyond the window of a cancer recurrence. Additionally, you can use this time to recover completely from the late side effects of treatment.

Also, the treatment may result in effects that can make it more difficult for you to handle a pregnancy. In such a case, we advise that you check with a maternal-fetal medicine expert before trying to become pregnant.

Remember that you may face a significant decline in fertility resulted from cancer and cancer treatment. Due to such risks, we highly advise consulting a fertility expert and consider freezing your eggs before commencing the treatment.

5. My partner is pregnant. Is there a reason to stay away from sex during my cancer treatment?

Chemotherapy drugs may excrete with vaginal secretions and semen. Hence, it’s important that you use a condom to prevent your partner from becoming exposed to it. Exposing yourself to these chemo drugs can result in birth disorders. If you have low platelet counts or low white blood cell counts, your oncologist may suggest that you avoid sex completely since it can increase your risk for bleeding or infection.

6. What fertility preservation options are available for women who are about to undergo cancer treatment? How does egg freezing help?

There are a lot of ways to preserve fertility for women. The most sought-after way is through assisted reproductive technologies to freeze eggs and/or embryos. Ovarian transposition is recommended for cancer patients who will receive high doses of potentially harmful radiation to their abdomen and pelvis. In this surgical procedure, the woman’s ovaries are moved away from the radiation field in order to prevent them from being harmed.

Alternatively, the woman’s ovaries can be suppressed with medication in order to make them more resistant to the side effects of chemotherapy. This is considered experimental, though.

Ovarian tissue freezing is the only option to preserve the fertility of female patients who haven’t reach puberty. Although this is also experimental, many children have been born using this technique.

7. Women can choose egg freezing, but what fertility preservation options do men have who are about to undergo cancer treatment?

The best way to preserve men’s fertility is to bank sperm before they start cancer treatment.

Testicular tissue freezing is the only option to preserve the fertility of young boys who are yet to attain puberty.

8. My menstruation has stopped. Could I still get pregnant?

Some cancer treatments can cause women to stop seeing her menses, but this may occur for a short time or last for a lifetime. Therefore, it’s still possible for a woman to become pregnant if she ovulates (the release of eggs of the ovaries) before her menstruation return. But if her menstruations stopped permanently, she has entered early menopause, and it is unlikely that she will get pregnant.

9. What should I ask my physician about cancer, fertility & egg freezing?

You first need to ask your doctor if the cancer treatment can result in infertility and if the answer is yes, what your individual risk is. Plus, you should ask about ways you can protect or preserve your fertility before you commence treatment. If you would like to know more, you can ask to be referred to a fertility expert who will counsel you about your risk and possibly, offer fertility preservation treatments such as egg freezing.

10. When do I need to talk to my doctor about my fertility?

You should speak to your physician about fertility early in the course of diagnosis and before you commence cancer treatment. In fact, the earlier you have the discussion, the more option you are going to have if you choose to undergo fertility preservation treatment. Even if you were not able to discuss your fertility concerns before treatment, you still need to speak to your doctor, as you may still want to have babies after cancer.

Conclusion

Want to learn more about cancer and its impact on fertility? Interested to see how our fertility clinic located in Orange County, California can help you with egg freezing and other fertility preservation options to mitigate the risks? Simply schedule a consultation with us or you can also visit our website to learn more.