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Prior to cancer related therapies: Oncofertility

• Before you or someone you love begin any form of cancer treatment, consult with your doctor about the risks of sterility or infertility. Many common cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation may permanently affect your ability to father children. Sperm freezing prior to, or in the early stages of, treatment offers men the security of knowing that the possibility of fatherhood is preserved. The rapid advancements of assisted reproductive technology have greatly enhanced the chances for men undergoing cancer treatment or other therapies that result in sterility, to father their own biological children. Cryopreserved specimens, when properly stored, will remain viable for almost an indefinite period of time. Pregnancies have been reported for cases in which the sperm has been stored for 20 years prior to thawing and insemination.
• Fairfax Cryobank, a state licensed and inspected facility, has one of the largest inventories of cryopreserved oncology patients’ semen in the United States. Based on our expertise and location in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area we receive many referrals from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda Naval Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and other local hematologists, medical and radiation oncologists.
• Fairfax Cryobank understands the urgency of beginning cancer treatment as soon as possible; therefore, we reserve appointment times for oncology patients every morning. If possible, it is advantageous for patients to bank all semen specimens prior to beginning their chemotherapy or radiation treatment. However, recent studies have shown that viable samples can be collected in the early stages of some treatments. The quality of each individual’s sperm sample varies and may depend on the patient’s condition and previous medication or treatment.
• December 2014 Preserving Your Fertility When Diagnosed with Cancer. Radio interview by Creating a Family and our Director of Operations, Dr. Michelle Ottey.

“Cryopreservation of semen should be offered to cancer patients irrespective of the type of disease.”

O. F. Pardon, M.D., et al.
Effects of cancer on spermatozoa quality after cryopreservation: a 12 year experience.
Fertility and Sterility, vol. 67, no. 2. February, 1997.

Prior to testicular, prostate or similar surgery

• The option to freeze and store semen prior to impending surgery may preserve a man’s reproductive capability.

Prior to vasectomy

• Although vasectomy is a common method of birth control, many men prefer the peace of mind that comes from banking their semen prior to a vasectomy. This safeguard allows these men the possibility of satisfying future fertility needs.

Prior to an Assisted Reproductive Technology procedure

• By storing semen prior to IVF, GIFT, ICSI or similar procedure, the availability of the sperm sample at the critical time of the procedure is ensured.

For high-risk occupations

• Many occupations put men at “high risk” of injury to their reproductive system and possible infertility.
• People who work with environmental pollutants.
• Workers in X-ray or nuclear environments.
• Firemen, policemen and construction workers who are prone to falls and other accidents which could result in testicular injury.
• Men in military service.
• Hockey, soccer, basketball and football players run a particularly high risk of testicular injury which may impair fertility.

For oligozoospermia patients

• Sperm banking may help treat men with oligozoospermia, or low sperm concentration. We concentrate the semen specimens, cryopreserve and store them. The specimens are then pooled by the physician to increase the probability of pregnancy.

“Cryopreservation should still be considered even in cases of decreased semen quality because today’s assisted reproductive technologies have resulted in pregnancies using very low numbers of sperm.”
Fertility after cancer treatment – a guide for patients. American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 1995

For MTF trans patients

• Before a patient begins hormone treatment, they can bank semen speciemens to preserve fertility options for the future
• Contact one of our locations to learn more about the process

Click here to read more Sperm Storage FAQs
Click here to find out about our Sperm Banking Mail-In Kit– Priority Male (TM)
Click here to read more about oocyte (egg) freezing.