Life After Cancer Treatments
Cancer patients are often treated with harsh chemotherapy and radiation which may lead to sterility. Doctors often suggest sperm or embryo freezing prior to treatment to ensure possible biological reproduction later in life. One young boy of 16 was given this option when faced with leukemia.
As a teenager, the idea of freezing sperm for future children may seem a bit daunting. The boy had a sperm sample frozen, based on a physician suggestion, and underwent two more years of radiation therapy. After beating cancer and getting married, the man decided that his decision to freeze his sperm years ago was a wise one. His wife conceived through in vitro fertilization and his recently un-frozen sperm.
This successful pregnancy ties the world record for longest frozen sperm used create a baby with IVF. His sperm was frozen for 21 years prior to the fertility procedure. Male cancer patients should seriously consider freezing their sperm, regardless of their age at the time of therapy (assuming they can produce proper sperm count). For female patients, the process of egg freezing is still in an experimental stage but is available.
Posted by Tala on 8/14/2009 2:26:06 PM
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