Fertility preservation before cancer treatment:
Looking after your fertility while going through cancer
Fertility might not be the first thing you think about
When you’re still getting your head around a cancer diagnosis, it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed. There’s a lot being thrown at you: scans, decisions, treatment plans. Fertility might feel like something to deal with later, or maybe you hadn’t even thought about it yet.
I’ve been through cancer treatment too, so I understand that mix of fear, urgency and trying to stay afloat. You don’t need to have all the answers now. But if you’re wondering what this could mean for the future, it’s okay to ask. You’re allowed to care about your body, your choices, and what comes next.
Fertility preservation in cancer patients
Cancer treatment can affect fertility
Some cancer treatments can make it harder to have children in the future, but it really depends on your situation. Things like your age, the type of cancer, and how quickly treatment needs to start all play a part.
Fertility might be affected if you’re having:
- Chemotherapy, especially certain drugs that can damage eggs or sperm
- Radiation close to the pelvis or brain
- Surgery that involves the ovaries, uterus, testicles or other reproductive organs
- Hormone treatments, like the ones used for breast or prostate cancer
- Or if treatment needs to begin straight away, with little time to plan ahead
This won’t happen to everyone. But the earlier we talk about it, the more choices you may have.
Fertility preservation options for females
If you’d like to look at preserving your fertility before cancer treatment starts, there are a few different options depending on your timeline and medical situation.
- Hormone medication is used to help your ovaries grow more eggs
- Eggs are collected and frozen before treatment
- The process usually takes around two weeks
- This is one of the most common options if there’s time
- Eggs are collected and fertilised with sperm before being frozen
- Often used if you have a partner or known donor
- Stored embryos can be used later if and when you’re ready
- A small piece of your ovary is removed and frozen before treatment
- Often used when there’s not enough time for egg collection
- Still considered emerging, but it has led to successful pregnancies in Australia
Hormone-blocking medication
- Sometimes used during chemotherapy to help protect the ovaries
- Research is still ongoing into how effective this is
- May be used alongside another method or when freezing isn’t an option
Fertility preservation Perth
Fertility preservation options for males
For men and people assigned male at birth, fertility preservation is often more straightforward.
Sperm freezing
- A sample is collected and frozen
- This can usually be done within a day or two
- Stored sperm can be used later in IVF or IUI
Testicular tissue preservation
- For younger boys who haven’t started producing sperm
- Involves freezing a small piece of testicular tissue
- Still considered experimental, but being explored for the future
When should I bring this up?
If no one has talked to you about fertility yet, you’re allowed to ask. It’s never “selfish” or “bad timing” to want information, even when you’re focused on survival. I work closely with cancer teams across Perth to try to make fertility part of your overall care plan.
Sometimes things need to move fast, but there’s often still a window to talk through options.
What people often tell me
Here are some of the things I’ve heard from people going through cancer treatment:
- “I didn’t know if I wanted kids, but I wanted the choice to be mine later.”
- “Freezing my eggs wasn’t about guarantees. It gave me breathing space.”
- “Having sperm stored gave me one less thing to worry about.”
Fertility specialist Perth
What you can do now
If you’re about to start treatment, or just need to talk things through, here are a few simple steps:
- Let your oncologist or GP know that fertility matters to you
- Ask if a referral to a fertility specialist is possible before treatment begins
- Get in touch with my rooms if you’d like to talk about your options. I offer appointments at The Woom (West Perth) or Monash IVF (West Leederville). Fertility treatments, when needed, are done at Monash IVF West Leederville.