Fertility and cancer treatment

Your chances of infertility depend on:

• Your fertility before treatment. For example, if you already had a low sperm count before treatment or if you were already close to menopause
• Your age – fertility is more likely to return in younger people, but it depends on the type of treatment and the dose
• The type of cancer you have
• The type of treatment used. For example, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or surgery
• If you have any other health problems

Some cancer treatments can:

• Damage the eggs in your ovaries or affect the hormones that make your body release eggs and get ready for pregnancy. Read more about fertility issues that affect women and people assigned female at birth.
• Damage sperm, reduce sperm count or affect your ability to ejaculate. Read more about fertility issues that affect men and people assigned male at birth.

Talk to your doctor before treatment starts

Talk to your cancer specialist before treatment starts about how it could affect your fertility and your options. Even if you have no immediate plans to start a family, you might still want to consider your options for the future.

For example, it may be possible to freeze your eggs or sperm before treatment starts. Bring your partner, if you have one, so they can ask questions too and discuss it together.

Many couples have had healthy babies after one or the other has been treated for cancer.

It’s important to think about contraception, even if your treatment is likely to affect your fertility. People undergoing cancer treatment are advised to avoid pregnancy during this time and for some time after, as some cancer treatments can harm a developing baby or increase the risk of miscarriage. 

Many specialists recommend that you wait for up to 2 years after treatment before trying to have a baby. This gives your body a chance to recover from the effects of the cancer and its treatment.

Speak to your medical team about the contraception options that are open to you. 

Cancer treatments can affect the organs and hormones that help you to reproduce (have children). This can make you infertile. Infertility can be temporary or it can be permanent. The effect that treatment has on fertility can vary. There are many factors that effect it such as age, type of cancer, where in the body the cancer is, the type of treatment you have and how long you have the treatment for. 

Read more about fertility after cancer treatment.