Male Infertility A child of my own - Andrology Australia

APPENDICESTESTICULARCANCER & FERTILITYSee AndrologyAustralia’s guide onTesticular Cancer formore informationDoes testicular cancer affect the chances ofhaving children?Cancer in a single testis may not affect the chanceof having children. In many men, after a canceroustestis is removed, the remaining testis continuesto produce of sperm and amounts of testosterone,the male sex hormone, that is important forreproductive and general health.Men who are diagnosed with testicular cancerare more likely to have reduced fertility beforeany treatment starts as it seems they have a preexistingtendency to poor sperm production.Fertility can be further affected by the followupcancer treatments such as radiotherapy andchemotherapy. It is therefore possible that somemen who have had testicular cancer may havetrouble having children.How does radiotherapy affect fertility?During radiotherapy, the other non-affected testisis shielded from the x-rays but some exposure mayhappen, which sometimes lowers sperm countsfor a short-time afterward. As radiation can causegenetic damage in the early development stages ofsperm (germ cells), it is best to avoid attempting apregnancy for six months after radiation treatment.MALE INFERTILITY 94