If you’ve recently been diagnosed with cancer and you’d like to learn more about this topic, please consider attending the next Care Conversation, “Cancer and Fertility,” on Tuesday, April 16.
Fertility
Gynecologic cancers directly affect a woman's fertility as they typically involve the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Depending on the type and stage of the cancer, GYN malignancies are usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of these modalities.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 20 and 35, including some men who hope to become fathers in the future. Whether the treatment plan includes surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, the patient's fertility can be at risk.
Dr. Rokitka is the newly appointed Director of the Young Adult Program and Oncofertility Program, and for years she has quietly helped many of our cancer survivors plan and finance the process of starting a family.
For cancer patients, the threat of infertility is a common concern. Radiation, chemotherapy and surgery have the potential to impact fertility. That’s why it’s so important for young cancer patients to have a multidisciplinary team of cancer and fertility experts who can offer the most effective treatment and fertility preservation options.
If you’re a woman under 40, you’re probably not thinking about menopause. But for young women who have had cancer, treatment-induced ovarian failure – often referred to as “chemopause” – is a very realistic concern.