Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients

What Is Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients?

Cancer can pause the momentum of daily life as well as your desire to have babies. In addition, cancer medications and treatment have ill effects on fertility. But, you can still have babies after cancer treatment. At OMA, we intend to teach how cancer treatment affects fertility and how you can preserve your fertility by cancer fertility preservation in Mumbai for future use, post-cancer treatment.

How can women preserve fertility?

Women diagnosed with cancer and about to take up the treatment can take the following fertility preservation methods, in consultation with our embryologist open to discuss fertility preservation treatments in Mumbai.

Embryo cryopreservation.This process involves freezing embryos in a cryoprotectant. The eggs are retrieved, fertilized in labs, and the mature embryo is cryopreserved and later thawed and implanted when needed. Almost 95% of embryos survive after thawing.

Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation). In egg freezing, the oocyte or eggs are harvested and cryopreserved unfertilized in cryoprotectant. Typically, 90% of cryopreserved eggs survive after thawing.
Radiation shielding. In this technique, the ovaries are covered and protected with small lead shields to reduce the amount of radiation exposure to ovaries in treatment.
Ovarian transposition (oophoropexy)- In this, the ovaries are surgically repositioned in the pelvis to keep them out of radiation exposure.
Surgical removal of the cervix- The cervix is the lowermost conical part of the uterus. In the preliminary stages of cervical cancer, the cervix is partially removed, preserving the remainder cervix for reproductive use.

How can men preserve their fertility?

Men can also preserve their fertility before taking cancer treatment in the following ways:

Sperm cryopreservation- As per procedure, the sperms are donated or extracted with TESE or TESA aspiration and cryopreserved for later use. So, you can contact us for cancer fertility preservation in Mumbai, for storing sperms for years.
Radiation shielding. In this procedure, the testicles are covered in small lead shields to reduce radiation exposure.

Effects of Cancer Treatment On Fertility

The cancer treatment is harsh on cancer cells to subside their growing number. But, the treatment can have harsh effects on fertility too. Here is how cancer treatment affects fertility:

Surgery- Some metastatic and genital cancers demand the removal of cancerous parts such as testicles, uterus, or ovaries, eventually affecting fertility.
Chemotherapy- The chemotherapy drugs are very strong. These drugs are also called alkylating agents that hamper the reproductive system and fertility. The younger women receiving chemotherapy are lesser prone to developing infertility than older women.
Radiation- Radiation therapy kills cancerous cells with radiation. However, normal cells are also prone to radiation. Depending on the cancer stage, size, and location, the radiation is administered, and usually, radiation affects fertility adversely. For example, radiation can destroy eggs in the ovaries, damage ovular tissues, or affect testicles.
Other cancer medications- Hormone therapies, the latest cancers treatment used for breast cancer in women, can affect fertility. However, the adverse effects are reversible, and fertility might be restored after treatment ceases.

How can parents preserve their child's fertility before cancer treatment?

Like adults, children too are prone to cancer, and so is their fertility. The parents must discuss with their children, and with their consent, they can make a prudent choice to preserve their fertility in the following ways

For girls:

Oocyte freezing
ovarian tissue freezing followed with transplantation

For boys:

Sperm banking
Testicular freezing

Why choose OMA to Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients

OMA Fertility caters to all the needs of couples trying to conceive without much success. Also, we provide holistic fertility treatments including cancer fertility preservation in Mumbai. You can choose us for the following reasons: