Did you know over 6 million individuals struggle with conceiving? The good thing is you can prevent some of the causes of infertility issues. Though you may not be sure about your future, it does not hurt to take some precautions. Certain factors lower your chances of conceiving or even interfering with your fertility, including cancer treatments. The Celebration fertility preservation specialists offer various techniques to help men and women conceive in the future. Read through to learn more about fertility preservation.
How does cancer affect fertility?
Cancer has become prevalent, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. You may survive the disease; however, it may not leave you the same. Cancer treatments affect your fertility, which may be a problem if you wish to have a family or have not completed your family yet.
The Center for Reproductive Medicine team understands the disaster and wishes to help you preserve your fertility by offering various ways to protect your fertility. They provide compassionate care, including consultations before and after cancer treatments, to help you make the best decision.
The fertility specialists are also researching how they can protect your fertility from chemotherapy destruction.
What to know about fertility preservation in women?
Women have a tight number of eggs during puberty. Before puberty, the gonads, glands that produce the reproductive cells, are insusceptible to cancer therapy.
Women’s eggs decrease gradually up to menopause. After a woman’s ovarian reserve is over, there is no way to renew the resource.
Cancer, among other gonadotoxic therapies, causes a substantial decrease in a woman’s egg supply, causing early menopause in more than 80% of the patients. The following may contribute to the effects of cancer therapy on your fertility.
- Type of chemotherapeutic agent used.
- Age, older women have a higher risk
- Dosage of radiation given
- Hodgkin’s disease
You may not be sure whether cancer therapy may interfere with your fertility; hence it’s advisable to consider fertility preservation before treatment.
Fertility preservation options for women
B cancer therapy
- Egg cryopreservation
- In vitro fertilization
- Embryo freezing
After cancer therapy
- Egg donation
- Gestational carriers
- Fertility therapy and assisted reproductive techniques
Fertility preservation for men
Cancer therapy may not affect boys during childhood and early adolescence. However, patients aged 50 and above are at risk of having poor sperm quality.
Chemotherapy and radiation affect sperm production. However, it depends on where the radiation is and how far it is from the testicles. Usually, radiation performed directly to the testicles stops sperm production.
As with women, the risks for cancer therapy affect fertility depending on the age, the dose of radiation used, and the form and amount of the chemotherapeutic agent used.
Men’s options for fertility preservation before cancer therapy include the following;
- Semen cryopreservation
- Shielding the testicles from radiation
- Testicular aspiration
Options that may help preserve men’s fertility after cancer therapy include;
- Donor sperm
- Sperm extraction
- Assisted reproductive technologies
Suppose you are about to undergo cancer treatments; please consider fertility preservation options before the treatments. You may not be sure of your outcome, but prevention is always better. Contact the Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine today to schedule your consultation.
