Is Sperm Banking Something With Cancer Should Look Into?

Should men who have been diagnosed with cancer consider having some of their sperm stored at one of the many cord blood banks around the country? Answering such a question isn’t quite as easy as what it might seem. For example, many people have ethical concerns, and in turn, they believe that they have no right to intervene in what they see as being God’s wish. Other might feel they’re doomed to die from their cancer, and therefore they don’t feels it is right for their current partner to maybe one day be impregnated with their sperm in their own absence. Also, many men believe they’ll make a full recovery, based on information they received from their doctors, so of course they believe they will still be able to father children, whether they currently have cancer or not.

What many men fail to realize, is that it’s more often than not cancer treatment that causes infertility, rather than the cancer itself. In fact, very few cancers are capable of rendering a man infertile, unless of course they are directly linked to a man’s reproductive system. Examples of this would be testicular cancer and cancer of the penis, with the latter being extremely rare. Even with testicular cancer, where the disease warrants surgical removal, usually only one testicle is affected, and by some strange twist of fate, the remaining testicle very rarely falls prey to cancer.

The leading cause of infertility amongst cancer patients is the treatment they receive. Chemotherapy can cause infertility, radiation therapy can cause infertility, and so can most other forms of cancer treatment. Let’s take a brief look at the various cancer treatments, and the impact the might have on a man’s fertility.

Chemotherapy and Infertility

Practically all men undergoing chemotherapy will experience at least some degree of change with regards to their fertility. For many, the treatment will result in a lowered sperm count; meaning their bodies will be producing less sperm than it normally does. For other, sperm production ceases entirely. If sperm production stops altogether due to chemotherapy, a man won’t be considered permanently infertile for at least the first four years following treatment.

After approximately four years have passed, sperm production should have returned, at least to a certain degree. It might not be the same as it was prior to chemotherapy, but there should be some sperm present in a man’s semen/ejaculate. Generally speaking, if sperm production hasn’t at least started by the end of the fourth year, the man concerned may very well need to acknowledge the fact that he’s been left permanently infertile. Men over the age of 40 are more likely to experience this that those below the age of forty, but of course it can and does happen to men a lot younger than 40.

Chemotherapy can also affect sperm in other ways, and for this reason, it’s not advisable for men to impregnate a woman once treatment has commenced. In fact, it’s this, coupled with the real risk of permanent infertility that essentially drives a lot of men to having some of their sperm stored, either in dedicated sperm banks, high tech fertility clinics, or in modern day cord blood banks.

Radiation Treatment and Infertility

For the most part, radiation treatment only poses an infertility risk if it results in the genitals or other parts of the reproductive system being exposed to excessive levels of radiation. The radiation waves don’t have to be aimed directly at the testes in order to cause infertility. Instead, if an area close to the testes is being treated, the testes themselves could end up absorbing rogue rays of radiation, and in turn result in infertility.

If very high doses of radiation are used, the actual stem cells responsible for the formation of sperm cells can be destroyed, in which case the resultant infertility will be permanent. This often happens when there is a need to direct the radioactive ways directly at the testes, as is the case when treating certain types of childhood leukemia.

Quite often, cancer is simply removed by means of surgery, and in that case, infertility is virtually unheard of, unless of course the surgery involved the removal of both testes and/or another vital component of the reproductive system.

Fortunately, most doctors will discuss such matters with their patient prior to treatment beginning. If they feel there’s a risk of infertility, they will more often than not give their patient and opportunity to take precautionary measures, such as having some of their healthy sperm stored away at a fertility clinic or at one of the many cord blood banks.

About The Author: Robert O. Dewald has written this article.