12:55 20th October 2022 | Fertility

fertility male fertility female fertility chemotherapy radiotherapy breast cancer cancer cancer treatment

The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and in this piece, we will be giving you details on how these two delicate topics are intertwined.

For men and women undergoing cancer treatment, your fertility can be affected by the strong effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Talking to your doctor/oncologist about the effects of the treatment on your body is crucial.

Chemotherapy can affect the ovaries by reducing the number of eggs being produced. This could be temporary or permanent. In men, chemotherapy can slow down or completely stop sperm production but usually has no impact on the libido.

Radiotherapy can damage women's ovaries or wombs and cause a dip in hormone levels. In men, when the radiotherapy is focused on the pelvic area, it can affect sperm production and erections as well as hormone levels.

Before starting treatment, you must ascertain whether you are done having children or if you still want to have children, whatever case may apply. Knowing this will help you make specific decisions about preserving your fertility and improve your chances of having your own children later on.

For men
As a man, you may be advised to store some sperm which can be used later in helping you and your partner have a child.

For women
As a woman, your eggs can be frozen to help improve your chances of conception later in life.

For the couple
After gametes are collected, you can have them manipulated in the IVF lab and the resultant embryos are stored for your future use.

If one partner's fertility has already been affected by the effects of cancer and cancer treatment, there are options to go for donor eggs and sperm.

The fact remains that infertility is stressful to deal with, but survivors still want to live a full life. Seeing as they usually feel they have been given a second shot at life, they want to do what they would have normally done, including having children.

If you are currently going through this, or maybe you simply aren't ready for parenthood and want to keep your fertility preserved till you are ready, Bridge Clinic is here to help you keep your fertility viable till the storm clouds of cancer are past you.

We have an ISO-certified laboratory and cryobank where we have the capacity to store gametes for up to 10 years.

Reach out to us today to learn how we can help you.

Email us: enquiries@thebridgeclinic.com, call 01 631 0092 or call/WhatsApp us via 0810 460 7791

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