Fertility on ice

Cancer patients today have not only a better chance of survival but they can also consider having a baby by taking to fertility preservation, writes Dr Jyoti Bali

According to data from the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) cancer incidences in India are increasing. Almost 11,93,000 new cases of cancer were estimated in 2011, with females bearing a higher burden (6,03,500) than males (5,89,800). The total number of new cases in males is expected to rise to 0.934 million in 2026 as compared to 0.589 in 2011. Whereas female cancer cases will increase to 0.935 million from 0.603 respectively.

In India, approximately half of the cancer patients are under the age of 50. Aside from that, the alarming amount of young people affected by cancer has raised concerns about the impact on their fertility potential. However, recent advances in the IVF sector can help cancer patients ensure healthy fertility for a longer period. Cancer patients today have not only a better chance of survival, but they can also consider having a baby. Cancer treatment can have an impact on both men’s and women’s fertility. Cancer in reproductive organs can sometimes only be fully treated after the removal of the uterus and ovaries, which in turn affects the ability to conceive. On the other hand, certain side effects of chemotherapy also cause infertility; however, it’s less likely to affect young women. It at times comes down to the location and the size of the radiation field. However, there are many techniques that can help preserve fertility, such as egg freezing, embryo freezing, donor eggs, donor sperms, donor embryos, ovarian cortex freezing, and testicular tissue freezing.

Sparking hope

Fertility preservation is a procedure that secures fertile eggs, ovarian tissue, or sperms just before cancer patients undergo treatment. It allows patients to reproduce after they have recovered from cancer. Fertility preservation is becoming progressively important in helping cancer survivors improve their quality of life. Men and women who have been diagnosed with cancer, on the other hand, may be reluctant to bring their fertility issues to light. Patients may also be unaware of their fertility preservation options because they are preoccupied with their diagnostics and therapy. Onco fertility is a term used to describe the preservation of fertility in cancer patients. These can be beneficial as it would help the patient to have a chance to reproduce after getting treated.

Some fertility preservation options

Egg freezing: Oocyte Cryopreservation is another name for the procedure. A woman’s eggs are harvested following an IVF procedure in which the ovaries are stimulated with drugs known as gonadotropins, and an ovum pick up procedure is performed. In this procedure, the ovum or eggs obtained are then frozen. It is kept in order to preserve the reproductive potential of women of reproductive age.

Sperm freezing: Sperm cryopreservation is another name for the procedure. During this procedure, the sperm is kept frozen and saved at a fertility clinic or sperm bank. Samples can be kept for years and used at a later date.

Embryo freezing: It entails an IVF cycle in which the female partner’s harvested eggs are fertilised with the male partner’s sperm, and the resulting embryos are cryopreserved.

Testicular tissue freezing: Cryopreservation of testicular tissue is a procedure for preserving fertility in prepubertal and pubertal males, allowing them to have biological children.

Ovarian Cortex freezing: Ovarian cortex freezing is a novel and promising method of fertility preservation that entails the cryopreservation of the ovaries’ cortex, which contains the eggs. When egg or embryo freezing is not an option, it is increasingly being used for fertility preservation in fairly young cancer patients.

(The author is an IVF and fertility specialist.)