Author: Dr. Ritu Agarwal

Cancer and cancer treatment may affect fertility in women and men. So, if a young person gets cancer, fertility preservation is a wise decision. This way, they can conceive naturally if they feel like becoming a parent after defeating cancer. Would you like to know more about fertility preservation in cancer patients? Then scroll down to find out why and how it’s done.

Fertility Preservation in Female Cancer Patients

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, chemotherapy drugs can adversely affect female fertility in young women. Cancers that affect girls of reproductive age have a greater risk of decreasing their fertility levels. So, doctors advise fertility preservation in breast cancer patients. cervical cancer patients, uterine cancer patients, and ovarian cancer patients.

If you have an interest in fertility preservation, scroll down to explore fertility preservation services for female patients with cancer.

1. Ovarian Suppression

Ovarian suppression is an interesting technique to shield ovaries during cancer treatment. Injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone can put the ovaries to sleep for a brief period. That’s because when this hormone drug is injected, the individual goes into a temporary menopause.

If your doctor recommends ovarian suppression, make sure to take the injection a week before your first chemotherapy session. Keep in mind that if your chemo continues, GnRH should be injected once every 3-4 weeks. Then your ovaries will get sufficient protection from chemotherapy’s harmful effects.

Note: As you will experience temporary menopause, don’t panic if you notice menopause symptoms such as hot flashes.

2. Freezing Eggs

Freezing eggs is a preferred way of fertility preservation in ovarian cancer​ and for patients with breast cancer.

It’s a simple procedure and many celebs and career-oriented women choose to freeze their eggs in their late 20s and early 30s. Cancer patients, especially the ones with ovarian cancer, can freeze their eggs before the commencement of their cancer treatment.

First, the doctor will give drugs for ovarian stimulation. Ovaries will make high-quality eggs and the doctor will collect the eggs to freeze them. Whenever you are ready, those eggs can be fertilized in a lab or naturally by having intercourse.

3. Freezing Ovarian Tissue

Another option for fertility preservation in endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer is removing one of the ovaries surgically.

If cancer affects one ovary and the other is perfectly fine, chemotherapy and strong cancer medication can still cause potential damage to the healthy ovary. For women with cancer, a small operation can remove the ovary by freezing it in a lab. This advanced method is known as ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Once the cancer treatment is over, the tissue is put back into the womb.

4. Freezing Embryos

To freeze your embryos, a fertility specialist will administer drugs for the stimulation of the ovaries. Ovarian stimulation will result in egg production and then the eggs will be collected. In a laboratory, the doctor will fertilize the eggs by bringing them in contact with donor sperm or the woman’s partner’s sperm. This process is termed embryo creation and then they freeze the embryo. Later, the embryo can be returned to the womb through IVF (in vitro fertilization).

Fertility Preservation in Male Cancer Patients

The testis is highly susceptible to the harmful effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for both young cancer patients and adult cancer patients. So, male cancer patients may preserve their fertility in the following ways:

1. Sperm Cryopreservation

Sperm banking, sperm freezing, or sperm cryopreservation involves keeping the sperm in a frozen condition for future use. Frozen sperm can be kept for decades, and it can be used for procedures such as intrauterine insemination (abbreviated as IU). It’s the most reliable method of fertility preservation in male cancer patients.

2. Freezing Testicular Tissue

If a boy gets diagnosed with cancer and he’s not old enough to produce sperm, cancer treatment can still affect his fertility levels when he grows up. There is an experimental option that involves removing tissues from the testicles and freezing the tissues for later use.

When the person is completely cured and becomes an adult, the preserved tissue could be used if he is infertile. The tissue pieces could be placed into the testicles, thus increasing the chances of more sperm production.

However, it’s a risky process and very few fertility treatment centers perform this procedure. Moreover, till now, no live birth has taken place through this process. So, more research needs to be done to confirm that tissue freezing can result in successful births for cancer survivors.

The Bottom Line

Advances in the detection of cancer and treatment processes in the past few years have vastly improved the survival rates for young cancer patients. Moreover, being diagnosed with cancer is not the end of the world and not all cancers are deadly if detected at an early stage.

So, don’t let cancer stand in your way of becoming a parent and enjoying a fulfilling life. Discuss with your oncologist the best way to preserve your fertility and get well soon.

References

All our articles contain reliable information as we take references from resources published by reputed institutions.

Fertility preservation in female cancer patients: An overview – PMC

Preserving Fertility in Females with Cancer | American Cancer Society

Women’s fertility and chemotherapy | Cancer Research UK

Preserving Fertility in Males with Cancer | American Cancer Society

Parenthood is a blissful experience and for a couple to achieve that, both man and woman need to come together. Many people forget that male fertility is an important factor, and a woman can’t make a baby without high-quality sperm. So, in today’s blog, we will discuss male fertility and lifestyle changes for male fertility.

Male Fertility: An Overview

In simple words, a man’s ability to impregnate a woman is defined as male fertility. The fertility levels of a man are determined by multiple factors like sperm quality, sperm motility, sperm quantity, etc. So, to boost male fertility is to produce more sperm as well as healthy sperm.

Wondering if there’s a way to improve sperm count and sperm motility without taking any medications? The answer is yes! By making some simple alterations to your lifestyle, you can give your sperm a much-needed boost.

Lifestyle Changes to Improve Male Fertility

As stated already, the lifestyle choices you make play a big role in your reproductive outcomes. These are the main lifestyle factors on male fertility:

1. Eat Nutrient-rich Foods

There is a direct link between male infertility and food habits. So, to produce healthy sperm, a man must eat well. So, what kinds of foods should you consume? Having plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits daily will decrease oxidative stress within your testicles as they are loaded with antioxidants. Fruits and veggies also contain key nutrients like vitamin E, vitamin C, lycopene, and folic acid – all of which are essential for sperm production.

Now let’s talk about the foods that you should avoid because of their negative effects on male fertility. Sugar is one of the biggest culprits that decreases sperm count significantly if you have too much sugar daily. Over-intake of soy products, red meat, processed food, and deep-fried food should also be avoided – whether you have a low sperm count or not. Learn more about diet and fertility.

2. Drink Plenty of Water

Besides eating nutritious meals, you should also drink 3-4 liters of water daily as dehydration worsens semen quality and increases the chances of prostate infections. So, to maintain semen volume and sperm quality, keep yourself hydrated. The easiest way of ensuring that your body isn’t dehydrated is by monitoring the color of urine. If it is yellowish, it’s an indicator that you need to increase the fluid intake.

3. Quit Smoking and Drinking

From the moment you start planning a baby, heavy drinking or regular smoking are the two things you must quit. Chronic drinking is dangerous for both men and women as it decreases the production of female/ male reproductive hormones. Additionally, drinking and smoking can severely impact the health and development of the fetus. So, if you want to optimize your sperm health and improve fertility, stay away from tobacco and alcohol.

Read to know: Male infertility treatments

 4. Reduce Stress

Did you know that chronic stress disrupts our body’s hormonal balance and therefore, negatively impacts the production of sperm? When you are under stress, the body releases excess cortisol and adrenaline and that leads to a hormonal imbalance. Moreover, stress will make sex less pleasurable for you and your partner. Hence, deal with stress by meditating, practicing mindfulness, and doing yoga. All these have proven benefits for sexual health. Learn more about Stress and Fertility.

5. Exercise Regularly

Studies have revealed that people who exercise for at least 30 minutes a day are more fertile. If you like to exercise, your testosterone levels will naturally increase, and sperm motility will improve. Even mild exercises like jogging can significantly better your sperm health.

6. Maintain a Healthy Weight

One of the major lifestyle changes for male fertility is to get back in shape as male obesity negatively affects male fertility. If you have a body mass index of over 30, it means there is an increase in testicular heat and oxidative stress. This will lead to poor-quality semen. To lose some weight quickly, stick to a healthy diet and prioritize exercising.

Learn more: Infertility And Obesity

The Bottom Line

So, now you know what you have to do to help your little swimmers reach your partner’s uterus. Make the above-mentioned positive changes and your sperm quality is bound to improve within a few months.

If you’re still unable to father a child, remember that implantation failure can happen due to a variety of reasons. Hence, it will be better if you and your partner consult an accomplished fertility specialist to address the underlying reasons. Stay hopeful as now there are many kinds of treatment options for both male and female infertility.

Low sperm count is one of the major causes of male infertility and the medical term for it is oligospermia. As it affects thousands of men around the globe, it is important to know its causes, symptoms, and treatment options. However, very few people know about this condition and how it can be treated. So, in today’s blog, we will understand the link between oligospermia and fertility. 

What is Oligospermia? Types of Oligospermia

The sperm count of a healthy person exceeds 15 million sperm per milliliter of seminal fluid. If you are producing less than 15 million sperm in every 1 milliliter of seminal fluid, you have oligospermia. Another name for oligospermia is oligozoospermia.

In some rare cases, sperm production is as low as 5 million sperm per milliliter of semen. This is called severe oligospermia.

Are Azoospermia and Oligospermia the Same?

While non-medical professionals end up using the terms oligospermia and azoospermia interchangeably, they are different. Oligospermia is characterized by a low sperm count. Azoospermia, on the other hand, means no sperm is produced at all.

Causes of Oligospermia

Oligospermia is caused by various factors, including:

• Nutrition and Exercise: Your fitness levels can be directly proportional to your fertility levels. If you do not eat a balanced diet consisting of protein, vitamins, and minerals, chances are high that sperm count in your ejaculate will be less. On the contrary, a person who eats nutrient-rich meals is expected to have high sperm count in the semen. Inadequate exercise can also lower the sperm count. Similarly, excessive exercise too can have adverse effects on your sperm count as overtraining can damage the vessels/ nerves surrounding the testicles.
• Environmental Factors: Studies have revealed that exposure to radiation, heavy metals, and toxic industrial chemicals can lower a person’s sperm count. Overheating of testicles can have an equally damaging impact.
• Medical Conditions: Certain medical conditions can increase an individual’s chances of getting severe oligospermia. Some examples are Varicoceles (a condition that causes swelling of veins and makes the testicle turn dry), ejaculation issues, defects in tubules responsible for transporting sperm, infections, tumors, hormonal imbalances, and undescended testicles.
• Lifestyle Choices: If you do not maintain a healthy lifestyle, oligospermia may stand in the way of fathering a child. Habits like drug consumption, smoking, and regular intake of alcoholic beverages affect fertility levels and might cause low sperm. Obesity also affects sperm quality and quantity Stress is another enemy to your overall health and reproductive health. So, to improve sperm count, you need to switch to a healthy lifestyle and stay happy.

Signs and Symptoms of Oligospermia

Oligospermia’s primary symptom is the inability to conceive a baby. Other symptoms may be:

• sexual dysfunction
• swelling or pain in the testicular area
• hormonal imbalances
• low libido

If you experience any of these symptoms, it is better to get yourself checked once.

Diagnosis of Oligospermia

To know if you have oligospermia, your healthcare provider will rely on a physical examination and check your complete medical history to discover the underlying cause. Some diagnostic tests to detect this condition are:

• Urinalysis for testing retrograde ejaculation
• Semen analysis
• Imaging tests like scrotal and transrectal ultrasounds
• Tests to measure the level of testosterone

Treatment Options for Low Sperm Count

As oligospermia leads to fertility issues, it is natural to wonder if the condition is treatable. These are the most effective treatment options:

• Medication: First, doctors try to resolve the issue by starting hormonal treatments and prescribing medications for treating infections (if any).
• Surgery: If medications don’t give the desired result, surgical intervention is the next step.
• Assisted Reproductive Technology: Techniques such as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, IVF, and IUI can also be tried.

Home Remedies to Increase Sperm Count

If you do not have severe oligospermia, medications may not be necessary. In that case, you have to make simple changes to your lifestyle to boost healthy sperm production. Some excellent home remedies to address reduced sperm production are stated below:

• Maintain a healthy weight by exercising for 30 minutes daily. You can choose any form of exercise like yoga, jogging, and swimming as these have proven benefits on reproductive health.
• As part of your treatment of oligospermia, eat a balanced diet with plenty of veggies and fruits. Additionally, quit smoking, drinking, and eating processed foods.
• If you have a lower sperm count, have coitus when your partner is ovulating to maximize the chances of conception.
• To help improve sperm production, you should also get 7 hours of sleep at night.

Read to Know: How to Increase Sperm Count

The Takeaway

Now you know how oligospermia can affect male fertility. If you have been struggling to make a baby, it does not confirm that you have oligospermia. Factors like erectile dysfunction, low sperm motility, etc. also lead to male infertility. So, to find out the exact cause and receive treatment, visit an experienced fertility specialist.

Most couples interested in starting a family make sure they have intercourse regularly and consume nutritious meals. But they end up neglecting one of the most crucial factors which is stress. When you are struggling to get pregnant or undergoing fertility treatment, mental stress can deeply impact your fertility levels. So, in today’s blog, we will discuss in detail the connection between stress and fertility. We will also tell you ways of dealing with stress to maximize your chances of conceiving.

How Does Stress Affect Fertility?

We all understand that infertility and IVF treatment can increase our stress levels. But you will be surprised to learn that even stress, depression, and anxiety can lead to infertility in both men and women.

Many studies have revealed that stress and infertility are interconnected. Wondering how your professional or personal stress can stand in your way of becoming a parent? Let’s find out!

What is stress? Stress is how your body responds to various challenges – external and internal. This psychological and physiological reaction is quite complex, and it occurs if we experience a threatening, overwhelming, or demanding situation. Stress can be of different kinds like oxidative stress, emotional stress, etc. While getting stressed occasionally is normal, prolonged stress significantly impacts our quality of life.

A variety of mental and physical responses are triggered by stress. For instance, when we experience stress, cortisol, a stress hormone, is released. But what is the connection between cortisol and fertility? If you are constantly stressed, your body will be forced to produce high levels of cortisol, and this will cause hormonal imbalance. So, the secretion of reproductive hormones like progesterone and estrogen will decrease, thus making you less fertile. Men too can suffer as chronic stress can reduce the production of testosterone, the most important male reproductive hormone. If testosterone is less, the sperm will be of poor quality. Naturally, it will get more difficult to conceive.

Impact of Stress on Ovulation

There can be effects of stress on ovulation. Women who remain under stress admit that they experience irregular menstrual cycles. How will you track your ovulation and predict your fertility window if your periods are inconsistent?

In rare cases, stress can result in anovulation. It is a medical condition that stops the ovaries from releasing mature eggs.

Tips to Cope with Stress

Now that you realize that distress and infertility are directly proportional, identify symptoms of depression and anxiety. Here are some things you can do to address stress:

1. Exercise daily

One of the best ways of bidding adieu to stress is by exercising for at least 30 minutes every day. When you exercise, feel-good hormones like dopamine and endorphins will replace cortisol. And who says exercising means only sweating out at the gym?

For the best results, feel free to pick physical activities that you will enjoy doing. It can be anything like gardening, stair climbing, playing badminton, dancing, riding a bicycle, walking, swimming, or jogging.

Read: Fertility Yoga Benefits

2. Rely on relaxation techniques

Many stress-management techniques can work wonders. Deep breathing, meditation, and yoga are excellent techniques to get rid of stress, anxiety, and depression. Getting hot oil massages can also give quick relief from stress and thus, minimize the risk of infertility.

3. Sleep soundly at night

People who have a consistent sleep routine wake up feeling happy, motivated, and energized. So, for women experiencing infertility, it is very important to go to bed on time and sleep peacefully for 7-8 hours. Sleeping is also the best way of blocking negative thoughts. Hence, when in a bad mood or feeling hopeless, sleep it off.

4. Spend time with your favorite people

Irrespective of the outcome of IVF treatment, don’t forget that you are not alone in this journey. Your partner is your biggest support system, and therefore don’t isolate yourself in your grief. Do fun things with your man like going on dinner dates, playing bedroom games, etc. to ease the situation. You should also catch up with your close friends and family members to feel better.

5. Eliminate the source of stress

Arriving at the root cause of stress is an organic way of deleting stress from your life. For example, if you are feeling stressed because you have an extremely demanding job and your work-life balance is disrupted, look for another job. If problems in your conjugal life are causing stress, have discussions with your spouse or go to a marriage therapist. Lastly, if the stress is due to the failure of assisted reproductive technologies, speak about it to your fertility specialist.

6. Seek professional help

Mental health is not something to be neglected. If you fail to manage stress on your own, some professionals can make your life easier. Find an accomplished therapist in your neighborhood and you will begin noticing positive changes right from the first session.

So, women with infertility should follow the above-mentioned tips to tackle fertility issues naturally. If you have opted for assisted reproductive technology, that too can be stressful as you need to be patient to get the good news. Therefore, when trying to conceive, say no to stress and try to be happy.

References:

SART: Stress and Infertility – a patient education micro-video

The relationship between stress and infertility – PMC (nih.gov)