Fertility preservation options for children with cancer

Emobileclinic Trending Topic 

Cancer of any type is a serious medical emergency particularly for women who are yet to conceive or give birth. Cancer therapy or treatments have been found inimical to pregnant women and it is against this background that women are advised to wait for 2 years after cancer treatment before attempting pregnancy.
Fertility preservation is recommended for parents of children with cancer in order to preserve their children fertility.
There are several options for preserving fertility in children with cancer, however this depends on the age of the child, pre- or post-puberty stage, the type of cancer treatment being considered, and the type and stage of the cancer.

It is important to know that children who have reached puberty qualify for egg or sperm cryopreservation while those who are prepubescent may be eligible for ovarian or testicular tissue frozen. Whichever preservation option chosen, parental consent is required and consent of the children are also necessary.
Effects of fertility preservation on cancer treatment
Presently, there is no evidence to suggest that fertility preservation methods interfere with cancer treatment. However, if the cancer treatment is halted to save fertility, this may have an effect on the result of the cancer treatment. It is highly important to consult with the doctor on possible risk associated with this condition.
It is possible to achieve or record significant pregnancy success following cancer treatment and fertility preservation. At the moment, no evidence has shown that cancer treatments have negative health effects on children conceived after treatment has ended. However, children should not be exposed to cancer treatments while in the utero.
While pregnancy does not lead to cancer re-occurrence, cancer is likely to re-surface within the first 2 years after diagnosis. Women who are pregnant during this time would not be able to have cancer treatment without harming the fetus.