Key points about male fertility after childhood cancer
- not all cancers and cancer treatments cause infertility
- some do, so it is important to understand your individual risks
- the risk of any problems with fertility is different for everyone
Affects of your cancer or treatment on fertility
Not all cancers and cancer treatments cause infertility, but some do, so it is important to understand your individual risks. Infertility happens when you stop producing sperm or when your sperm is too damaged. Azoospermia is the medical name for having no sperm in semen.
Why infertility can happen for males after childhood cancer
Chemotherapy
If you've had chemotherapy with certain drugs, your healthcare team will talk to you about your individual risk of infertility. The most common chemotherapy treatments to cause infertility are Ifosphamide, Cyclophosphamide, Procarbazine, Melphalan, Thiotepa, CCNU, and BCNU. Your level of risk depends on how much you've had.
Radiation
Your fertility can be affected if you've had total body irradiation (TBI) or radiation to your:
- pelvis
- testicles
- lower spine
- brain (affects your hormones)
Surgery
Surgery to your testicles or other reproductive organs can affect your fertility.
Changes to your hormones
This can happen after radiation or surgery to the brain.
Finding out if infertility is a problem after childhood cancer
There are a number of options available to help you become a dad if your fertility is affected.
You can have blood tests to check your hormone levels once you reach puberty. You can have a semen (sperm) analysis at any time to check if you are producing sperm. In some cases, sperm can recover up to several years after treatment.
Your healthcare team can talk with you about this in more detail.
Options if your fertility has been affected after childhood cancer
There are options to help you become a dad. Your healthcare team can get you an appointment with a fertility clinic to talk about these in more detail.
Using contraception after childhood cancer
Make sure to use condoms - protect you and others from STDs. Don't assume you will be infertile from your treatment!
It's important to use contraception! Don't think that just because you've had some of these treatments, you will be infertile. It's also important to use condoms to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases.
Concerns about your children's health
Some rangatahi who have had cancer worry that their treatment may cause health problems in their own tamariki (children). There is no evidence that this is the case. Except for some rare inherited cancers, there is also no evidence that your child will have an increased risk of developing cancer.
If you had sperm banked before treatment for childhood cancer
If you had sperm banked before treatment, it's important to tell the sperm bank if your contact details change. They will contact you from time to time. If they have lost contact with you for 10 or more years, they may destroy your banked sperm.
More questions about fertility after childhood cancer?
You can talk to your healthcare team about any of these issues in more detail.
Acknowledgements
All the pages in the childhood cancer section of this website have been written by health professionals who work in the field of paediatric oncology. They have been reviewed by the members of the National Child Cancer Network (NZ). Medical information is authorised by the clinical leader of the National Child Cancer Network.
