Fertility preservation/awareness is a topic of conversation that is unique to adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients because they are either entering or in the middle of their child-bearing years. It’s also a topic that you probably wouldn’t even think about unless you found yourself walking down the path of cancer treatment and, hopefully, someone along the way mentioned it. That’s why I’m writing about it; so young people will know.
The issue of fertility with chemotherapy jumped onto my radar when I was researching Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and found some warnings about preventing pregnancy while undergoing cancer treatments. Dave’s oncologist never asked us about family planning or mentioned the risks of chemo on a pregnancy; and, that really didn’t surprise me since most of the patients he treats are well beyond their child-bearing years. As I dug deeper into the topic, I found out some other interesting bits of information that are worth sharing.
~ For women, chemotherapy and radiation often induce menopause depending on the kind of treatment and location of the cancer.
~ Even if the treatment doesn’t induce menopause, it most likely alters the genetics of the maturing eggs, so pregnancy should be prevented during and for at least 6 months after treatment.
~ Doctors recommend that a woman wait 2 – 5 years after completing treatment before becoming pregnant so that her body has time to recover and the chance of a cancer relapse is significantly less.
~ Chemotherapy and radiation also cause infertility in some men.
~ Doctors recommend that men prevent pregnancy for 2 years after completing cancer treatment because chemotherapy and/or radiation can genetically damage the sperm and they believe that damage probably repairs itself within 2 years.
The good news is that programs are available to help young adults understand their options and, in some cases, offer financial assistance for fertility preservation. Fertile Hope, a part of the LIVESTRONG foundation, is one such program (and also the source of the above information). Check out the website for more information.
Because this topic is intensely personal and I am unwilling to discuss our decision-making in this public forum, I recommend this blog post for additional perspective. The author is a 22 year old woman with Leukemia and I’ve been reading her blog for a while.
Life, Interrupted: A Young Cancer Patient Faces Infertility
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