Sex and Cancer: Fertility
It is important not to fall pregnant or get someone pregnant whilst on chemotherapy as these drugs may harm a developing baby.
Fertility and pregnancy
Fertility is defined as the capability to produce offspring. People may be fertile or infertile for many reasons.
If you have periods, they may become irregular or stop altogether during treatment. This does not always mean that you can’t get pregnant. If you are having chemotherapy, this may be temporary. Cancer treatment may also cause menopause to start at a younger age than expected.
If you think that you might be pregnant or have made someone else pregnant you must discuss this with your doctor or CNS straight away.
If you have an MIBG scan you should wait for 2 months before attempting a pregnancy. All other scans including MRI and CT scans and other investigations do not need any special requirements. However, if you need to have regular follow up scans after treatment it is best to avoid being pregnant until they are completed.
For advice about contraception related to your cancer treatment read our Safer Sex section and ask someone in your cancer care team for tailored information and support.
Infertility
A small number of people undergoing cancer treatment become infertile. Whether this happens and how long it lasts depends on many factors, including whether you have received radiotherapy to your pelvis and the dose you received, the type of drug/s, the doses given, and your age.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can in some cases lower the number of sperm cells, reduce their ability to move, or cause other changes. These changes can result in short- or long-term infertility. Because permanent sterility (infertility) may occur, it’s important to discuss this issue with your cancer care team BEFORE you begin chemotherapy.
Infertility affects your ability to have a baby naturally but it doesn’t affect your ability to have sex, and you should still be able to have an orgasm.
If you are infertile, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t be a parent. If you previously froze testicular or ovarian tissue this could be reimplanted at a later date to restore fertility. There are also other options available such as using donor eggs, donor sperm, surrogacy, and adoption.
Also for people who have successfully sperm banked prior to their treatment, this sperm can be used to try and help you have a baby.