Recalls his concern when wasn’t offered sperm storage before radiotherapy, and relief he felt…
Some of the men who were interviewed here stated that their sperm was dormant prior to having a testicle removed.
Age, fertility status prior to diagnosis, and the type of treatment you need will all affect how fertile you are. Before beginning your treatment plan, it’s crucial to discuss potential effects on your fertility and quality of life with your doctor. Surgery will have a different effect from chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Many worries arise after a testicular cancer diagnosis, including concerns about the prognosis, potential treatments, and their side effects. One of the typical worries that many men have is whether the disease will affect their ability to conceive a child given its location. If detected early, testicular cancer, a type of cancer that develops in the testicles, is typically curable. But testicular cancer and its treatment may make it harder to get pregnant and, in some cases, make natural conception impossible. That doesn’t mean you have no options for starting or expanding your family, though.
There are other medical specialists you can consult with who can provide direction and support if you’re feeling lost or confused right now, including psychologists, fertility specialists, and genetic counselors. Your spouse, friends, and family can all be ongoing sources of support. Learn more about how cancer may affect your fertility here.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may have similar outcomes on your fertility because both treatments can temporarily decrease your sperm production and damage the health of your sperm. It can take over two years for the quantity and quality of your sperm to return to normal and in some instances, infertility can be permanent.
Doctors may need to perform a procedure known as retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) if your cancer has spread. The back of the abdomen’s lymph nodes that may contain cancer cells are removed during this procedure. There is an increased risk of developing a condition known as retrograde ejaculation because this procedure has the potential to harm the nerves that control ejaculation. This occurs when semen exits the penis during orgasm rather than through the bladder, which can impair your ability to conceive naturally.
Retrograde ejaculation prevents a person from having children through regular sexual activity. But after having sex, it might be possible to extract sperm directly from your testicles or from your urine. The sperm may be used for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or direct fertilization of your partner.