Articles
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 men do to preserve fertility before cancer treatment?
Men also can take steps to preserve their fertility before undergoing cancer treatment. For example:
- Sperm cryopreservation. This procedure involves freezing and storing sperm at a fertility clinic or sperm bank for use at a later date. Samples are frozen and can be stored for years.
- Radiation shielding. In this procedure, small lead shields are placed over the testicles to reduce the amount of radiation exposure they receive.
