fertility after chemo?

Question

i have just met a wonderful guy, who had terratoma 6 years ago. He had his lymph nodes removed and had strong chemotherapy. I have 2 questions. 1) what is terratoma and 2) what is the likelihood of us falling pregnant? The reason im not sure on details is that i dont want to ask him too many questions because we havent been together long. We are not even thinking about children yet but its good to be informed for the future. If any doctors/sufferers could answer it would be a great help. Thanks

Answer 1

I work in a chemo ward; all young guys coming into us for chemo are offered the option of sperm freezing because of the risk of future infertitltiy. Chemo does not always cause infertiltiy in men, but it MAY do. Most of the men offered this will take it - I have only known of one who didn't in four years.
It's a fair chance that your man will have been offered the same choice....but as you say, that's an area you don't want to touch on just yet!

Answer 2

Cancer Treatment and Fertility in Men

Chemotherapy: During puberty (usually around age 13 to 14), a boy's testicles begin producing sperm -- and they will keep doing so for the rest of his life. Since sperm cells divide rapidly, they are an easy target for damage by chemotherapy. The higher the dose of chemo, the slower sperm production gets back to normal, and the more likely it is to stop. Permanent infertility results if all the stem cells in the testes are destroyed, and no longer can produce maturing sperm cells. The most damage takes place when men are treated with both chemo and with radiation therapy to the abdomen or pelvis.

As in women, chemotherapy has a varying risk of causing infertility depending on the type of drug and the dose a man receives. After treatment with chemotherapy, sperm production slows down or may stop altogether. Some sperm production usually returns in 1 to 4 years and can even take up to 10 years, although if sperm production has not recovered within 4 years, it is less likely to recover. Men older than 40 may also be less likely to recover their fertility, but age seems to be less crucial in men than in women. -

Answer 3

Chemotherapy does not always cause infertility. Much would depend on the type of chemotherapy, the dosage, and how long he was in treatment. If there is any question than he can have a sperm count done .. or be examined by an infertility specialist. You can check the site Fertile Hope for more information:

Fertile Hope
http://www.fertilehope.org/

As for teratoma they are a type of germ cell tumor related to the ovaries in females and testes in males. Teratoma's can be benign or malignant. A teratoma in young males is the second most common testicular germ cell tumor. You may need to ask to find out what type of teratoma your friend had.

CureSearch: Germ Cell tumors
http://www.curesearch.org/for_parents_and_families/newlydiagnosed/article.aspx?ArticleId=3190&StageId=1&TopicId=1&Level=1

Answer 4

A teratoma is a type of germ cell tumor. There are numerous types of teratomas with different outcomes depending on what type he had. Teratomas are a common childhood solid tumor.

Teratoma info
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic3023.htm

"Fertility is of particular importance for these patients. Adult males treated with chemotherapy and surgery similar to current pediatric protocols face a 20-30% reduction in fertility with standard dose BEP (Huyghe, 2004). Among adult females, the results may be worse."

The answer to whether he is fertile is maybe, maybe not. I'm guessing his Dr has already given him (or his parents) a general idea as to whther or not he is fertile. A trip to a fertility clinic for a sperm exam will give you a quick answer as to whether or not he is shooting blanks.

If he is infertile you could always adopt or use a sperm donor.

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/QAs/TesticularcancerQAs/AllQAs/related_faqs/QAs/589

Answer 5

a terratoma is a tumor that consist of hair and teeth.
[it's sound bad]but they are a thing that just happens to the human body.
and can happen to anybody.
I think there is a good chance of you getting pregnant in future if his fertitly is ok
dont be scared to ask him question about it.
just dont push it if he doesnt want to talk about it.
look it up on the internet or watch bodyshock[i gave birth to my twin]
I think that what it is called it's a programe that was about a young boy who when he was in his mother womb he was a twin but the twin died and the fetus was absorb into his own body
and was growing like a tumor when they got it out it was a terratoma. this is programe that showed a terratoma in detail.dont know if this will help you to understand...
goodluck with everything....

Answer 6

A teratoma is a malignant tumour, I assume in his case it was of the testicle. The sort of chemotherapy he would have been given is likely to have produced sterility.He should have been offered the option of semen cryopreservation prior to the commencement of therapy in case he planned to have more children in the future. However this is often not done!

Answer 7

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Answer 8

i have no clue what number 1 is but google that and 2 im not sure at all it may not be possable after chemo

Answer 9

Teratoma is a cancer of germ or embryonic cells. In adult males, this usually means that it occurs in the testicles. It's likely that he lost at least one of his testicles, and that the chemo killed all of the germ cells that produce sperm. This would leave him infertile.

Answer 10

do wat best 4 the both of yous