A cancer diagnosis is life-altering, but modern medicine now allows us to look beyond the immediate treatment toward your future quality of life. Fertility Preservation is the process of saving eggs, embryos, or sperm so that individuals can still have biological children after completing their cancer therapies.

Does Cancer Treatment Affect Fertility?

Unfortunately, chemotherapy and radiation therapy specifically target rapidly dividing cells. While this is effective against cancer, it also attacks healthy reproductive cells like spermatozoa and oocytes. The level of risk depends on the drug type:

• High Risk: Alkylating agents like Cyclophosphamide, Busulfan, and Procarbazine.
• Medium Risk: Platinum analogs such as Cisplatin and Carboplatin.
• Low Risk: Plant derivatives (Vincristine) and certain antibiotics (Bleomycin).

Radiotherapy to the pelvic area or lower abdomen also poses a significant threat to ovarian and testicular function.

When to Act?

Timing is everything. It is vital to talk to an ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) specialist as soon as the disease is diagnosed. At Talwar Fertility & Child Health Centre, we coordinate closely with oncologists to ensure fertility procedures do not delay life-saving cancer treatments.

Preservation Options for Men & Women

Fertility in Children with Cancer

For prepubertal children who cannot yet produce mature eggs or sperm, options like testicular and ovarian cortex freezing are available. While some of these techniques are still considered experimental, they offer the only hope for biological parenthood later in life. Legal consent and careful ethical weighing are mandatory for pediatric cases.

Making the Decision

Your medical team will determine the best approach based on your biopsy report, the specific type of cancer, and the window of time available before chemo-radiation begins. Being well-informed is the first step toward taking control of your reproductive future.