When you were first diagnosed everything may have seemed to be rushed through and you may have needed some time to adjust to everything that was going on. The TYA Survivorship Service runs across the whole East Midlands and specialist fertility services are available at your local hospital, your Survivorship CNS can help with referrals to such services.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can affect your fertility in different ways, and so can surgery on parts of the body involved in reproduction. You may feel less interested in sex during cancer treatment. Some treatments can cause side effects that make having sex difficult. This is not the case for every person receiving cancer treatment, a number of people have cancer treatments and go on to have children. After having cancer treatment, your fertility levels can be tested; infertility caused by cancer treatment can be temporary.
Contraception: Unless you want to have children you should always use contraception. It is also important to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms. Your CNS will be happy to discuss contraception options that best suit you.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can affect your fertility in different ways, and so can surgery on parts of the body involved in reproduction. This is not the case for every person receiving cancer treatment, a large proportion of people who have cancer treatments go on to have children. You may have had the opportunity to preserve your fertility through sperm storage egg harvesting before treatment started, this is not always possible for a number of reasons. After having cancer treatment, your fertility levels can be tested; infertility caused by cancer treatment can be temporary. Your Survivorship CNS can help you with the process of checking your fertility status after treatment either through a post treatment semen analysis for males, or through taking some bloods for females. If needed, a referral to fertility services can be made.
Sex itself can also be different after a cancer diagnosis, you may feel less interested in sex during or after cancer treatment. Some treatments can cause side effects that make having sex difficult. Or you may feel conscious about your body in some way that affects your confidence with having sex. Your Survivorship CNS can support you with these issues and if required refer you to appropriate services to support you.
It is always important not to assume you are infertile after treatment and use contraception, unless you want to have children. It is also important to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms. Your CNS will be happy to discuss contraception options that best suit you.
