IVF For Cancer Patients – A Ray of Hope for Cancer Patients
- 28 Jul, 2022
- IVF and Infertility
- infertility
- Medically Reviewed By:
Dr. Nishi Singh - Author: Prime IVF Centre
The prevalence of cancer in young adults is seeing a sudden and rapid rise in number. Studies suggest that the maximum cases of malignancy are predominantly witnessed in the 25-30 years age group. Sadly, this is also considered the peak fertility age in most men and women, which makes it a challenge if you are suffering from cancer.
Being diagnosed with any form of cancer directs the patient to undergo either chemotherapy or radiation, both of which have irreversible impacts on the patient’s fertility. From risks of depletion of ovarian reserve, damage to ovarian tissues to sperm DNA fragmentation, the impacts are often long-term and irreparable.
Owing to these complications, most cancer patients are now resorting to “Fertility Preservation” techniques as a way to conceive their biological child after the cancer treatment is over and the patient is in remission.
But what is fertility preservation and how does it benefit cancer patients? We will explore more on that in this article.
Table of Contents
1. What is Fertility Preservation?
Fertility preservation includes medical procedures and assistive reproductive technologies (ARTs) to secure the fertile eggs, ovarian tissue, or even the sperm sample of the cancer patient before they undergo rigorous treatment regimens of chemotherapy and radiation.
Studies have found that men who undergo radiation below their pelvic region for their cancer treatment have sperm DNA damage and fragmentation, which can impair fertility to a grave extent.
However, modern-day medicine is introducing a ray of hope to these cancer patients who wish to conceive a biological child someday down the road.
Techniques like egg freezing, embryo freezing, donor egg fertilization, donor embryo implantation, donor sperm fertilization, and sperm cryopreservation are some techniques that are revolutionizing ARTs and the process of In-vitro fertilization (IVF) in cancer patients.
The use of IVF after cancer is gaining rampant popularity among cancer patients who have higher chances of beating the disease and being in remission after their treatment regimen.
With fertility preservation, there is a ray of hope that is predominant among most individuals who are diagnosed with the deadly disease at their prime reproductive and child-bearing ages.
2. What are the Techniques Involved in Fertility Preservation?
While IVF is the go-to procedure for most cancer patients after their treatment, we need to understand that the steps involved in fertility preservation have a lot more to them which need to be considered to make the right decision.
Some of the most common techniques involve:
Egg freezing – medically known as mature oocyte cryopreservation, egg freezing is a medical procedure that involves the retrieval of the mature eggs from the ovaries of a cancer patient. These unfertilized eggs are then frozen and preserved for use in the future when the patient is ready and healthy to conceive their biological child.
Donor egg fertilization – undergoing rigorous cancer treatment, involving chemotherapy and radiation can directly impact the ovarian egg reserve and the viability of the oocytes. Several women even report fertility issues following their cancer treatment. In such cases, donor egg fertilization is considered optimal and enables the patient to conceive a child despite the lack or damaged ovarian reserve.
Embryo freezing – commonly known as cryopreservation, the procedure involves freezing the fertilized egg for later implantation. Most women prefer undergoing this procedure prior to their cancer treatment to preserve their fertility and carry their biological child after they are healthy and in remission from cancer.
Donor embryo implantation – this procedure involves the implantation of a viable embryo from a donor couple that is implanted into the uterus of the intended mother to carry the child to term and raise the baby as their own. It is often a common procedure in couples with a history of infertility and cancer treatment on top of it.
Sperm cryopreservation – sperm freezing is a procedure that freezes and preserves the viable sperm cells to preserve a man’s fertility for when they want to conceive a biological child down the road. Since cancer treatments directly impact the sperm health and viability, freezing the sperm before starting the cancer treatment offers an opportunity for an individual to later conceive a biological child if they wish to.
These are some of the most preliminary fertility preservation techniques that are suggested during IVF for cancer patients. Remember that IVF has a higher success rate for cancer patients if they preserve their fertility before undergoing the treatment regimens. This involves both chemotherapies, radiation, immunotherapy, etc.
3. How to Approach Fertility Treatments after a Cancer Diagnosis?
At Prime IVF Centre, we have worked with patients who have recently gotten a cancer diagnosis and are in their peak reproductive years.
Situations like these can be devastating, however, people need to realize that the facet of ART and IVF has evolved exponentially. A procedure that wasn’t even a possibility 10 years back can now be done with comprehensive infertility solutions.
If you are diagnosed with a form of malignant cancer but want to undergo fertility treatments to preserve your chances of conceiving your biological child down the road, fertility preservation is the way to go.
The steps are simple:
- Consult our team of passionate, highly experienced, and board-certified fertility specialists at Prime IVF to get a comprehensive evaluation.
- Depending on your situation, the specialist will suggest a tailor-made individualized therapy involving IVF or other assisted reproduction.
- Generally, it starts with discussions about viable ways to preserve fertility at present, including egg freezing, sperm freezing, embryo freezing, etc.
- Later, after the successful cancer treatment, the patients can look into IVF using their frozen sperm, egg, or embryo to conceive their biological child.
The process isn’t as linear as we have mentioned but it's not as complicated provided that there is transparent communication between the patient and the fertility specialist.
4. Conclusion
Undergoing cancer treatments is damaging to the patient – both physically and mentally. Working through the burden of whether or not one will be able to conceive their biological child can further impact one’s mental well-being for the worse. Having open discussions with reproductive specialists about fertility preservation and IVF treatments is crucial before starting cancer treatment.
At Prime IVF Centre, we aim to provide economical fertility treatment options with direct access to state-of-the-art technologies and diagnostic laboratories for a comprehensive evaluation to come up with an effective tailor-made individualized therapy. Our experienced multidisciplinary team of doctors prioritizes open conversations with cancer patients and weighs out the pros and cons before proceeding with IVF treatment and procedures.
