1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) 30 Ways to manage side effects Infertility What it is and why it occurs Some types of chemotherapy can cause infertility. For a woman, this means that you may not be able to become pregnant. For a man, this means you may not be able to father a child. In women, chemotherapy may damage the ovaries. This damage can lower the number of healthy eggs in the ovaries. It can also lower the hormones produced by them. The drop in hormones can lead to early menopause. Early menopause and fewer healthy eggs can cause infertility. In men, chemotherapy may damage sperm cells, which grow and divide quickly. Infertility may occur because chemotherapy can lower the number of sperm, make sperm less able to move, or cause other types of damage. Before treatment starts, tell your doctor or nurse if you want to have children in the future. Ways to manage infertility For women, talk with your doctor or nurse about: Whether you want to have children. Before you start chemotherapy, let your doctor or nurse know if you might want to get pregnant in the future. They may talk with you about ways to preserve your eggs to use after treatment ends or refer you to a fertility specialist. Birth control. It is very important that you do not get pregnant while getting chemotherapy. These drugs can hurt the fetus, especially in the first three months of pregnancy. If you have not yet gone through menopause, talk with your doctor or nurse about birth control and ways to prevent pregnancy. Pregnancy. If you still have menstrual periods, your doctor or nurse may ask you to have a pregnancy test before you start chemotherapy. If you are pregnant, your doctor or nurse will talk with you about other treatment options. Chemotherapy can cause birth defects. Do not get pregnant while you are on treatment. Whether or not you become infertile depends on the type of chemotherapy you get, your age, and whether you have other health problems. Infertility can last the rest of your life.
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