Just because you have had treatment for cancer doesn’t mean you will have problems with fertility – but this is something you need to think about if you are about to start treatment, and may want to have a family in the future.

• On this page you’ll find general information on fertility and how different cancer treatments can impact on your fertility.

• If you are about to start cancer treatment and would like to know more about your fertility options, check out out our fact sheet on fertility options before treatment for men. 

• If you would like information on fertility options after completing cancer treatment, check out our fact sheet on fertility options after treatment for men. 

What does fertility mean?

• Fertility is the ability to have a baby that is biologically yours - meaning that it has your genes or DNA.

• Infertility is the inability to have a baby that is biologically yours and can be the result of either the woman or the man not being able to concieve.

• Not all cancer and treatments affect your fertility. Some - depending on the dose, type, location and the way the body reacts - may have an impact.

• Infertility is something that happens to members of the general population as well, not just to people who have had cancer treatment.

How can having cancer affect my fertility?

• Not all cancer and cancer treatments affect your fertility.

• But it is really important to know what are the risks and issues before you start your treatment, so you know whether you need to make some decisions about protecting your fertility.

• You may not have this option before you started treatment because of your type of cancer.

• The important thing to do is chat to your doctor or nurse about this as soon as possible, to find out next steps to test your fertility.

Types of Cancer That Can Affect Fertility

There are some cancers that could directly impact upon your fertility, but usually not in a terribly damaging way.

Testicular cancer

Having testicular cancer may mean that you have a low sperm count at the time of being diagnosed with cancer.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Because of the way the disease develops, having Hodgkin’s lymphoma could mean that you have a low sperm count at the time of being diagnosed with cancer.

Cancer treatments and How They Can Affect Fertility

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the most common form of cancer treatment.

Unfortunately, while chemo can stop cancer cells growing and multiplying, it can also affect normal, healthy cells in the process. Reproductive cells fit into this category, so this includes sperm.

The extent of the damage is determined by a number of different factors:

• Drug type

• Dosage

• Combination of medications

With all of the things described above it is best to check with your doctor to see what the effect may be.

Radiotherapy

• Radiotherapy uses high energy x-rays, gamma rays or electrons to kill cancer cells in a specific part of the body. It creates shifts in the body’s cells that destroy the cells’ ability to grow and divide.

• Radiotherapy only affects the cells and tissues within a specific area (unlike chemo, which affects the whole body). Normal, healthy cells are also better able to resist the radiation, which is why your body may recover from the effects of radiotherapy faster.

• Radiation also kills rapidly dividing cells, such as reproductive cells, but is generally limited to those in a contained area. So this is why it can impact your fertility if you are having radio in that area.

The amount of damage that radio can do to your reproductive organs depends on a number of things:

• The dosage

• The number of treatments (called fractions) required

• The field of radiation

Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) and Stem Cell Transplant (SCT)

Having a transplant means that you will be given high dose chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation.

Therefore there is a significantly higher risk of infertility because of the reasons outlined under chemotherapy and radiotherapy above.

Surgery

Having surgery to the reproductive organs such as the testes, or to the organs in the surrounding areas may affect your ability to have a child. Some of the areas where you might have surgery are mentioned below:

• The testes

• The prostate

• The bladder

It is best to chat with your doctor about what the impact of surgery may be on your reproductive organs.

What could happen once I have treatment?

While you are going through treatment it will be very difficult to tell what the impact may be on your sperm production. There may be effects on the number of sperm you have, or their ability to swim. These effects may be temporary during treatment, or permanent.

After you have finished treatment you can have your sperm tested to work out what the impact may have been.

Remember: Chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not affect the fertility of all cancer patients, but it may happen for some.

Resources:

To order a free copy of our fertility book, Maybe Later Baby for young people with cancer visit our order resources page.

For more information on fertility clinics and other relevant stuff visit: www.fertilehope.org

For information on places where you can have your fertility tested visit the Sexual Health and Family Planning Website.