Testicular cancer and fertility

Testicular cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancerous) cells form in the tissue of one or both testicles.

Can I get children in the future? This is one of the questions asked by men diagnosed with testicular cancer.

“When we first evaluate men who may have new testicular cancer, we talk about fertility,” says Bradley Leibovich, MD, a urologic oncologist at the Mayo Clinic.

“Men with testicular cancer have fertility problems because this cancer itself can affect fertility, and our treatments can affect fertility,” he says.

“First we work with men who are interested in conservation fertility he’s talking about sperm banks,” he adds via email.

Infertility can be a side effect of surgerychemotherapy, radiation and other cancer treatments.

For this reason, it is important that men who still want to have children after treatment save their sperm before starting treatment.

“We deal with problems in general fertility from the start ensuring men have a sperm bank, so it’s rarely a long-term concern for them,” he says.

Another concern is low levels testosteronea hormone that is mainly produced in the testicles.

“Most men have a normal level testosterone with only one testicle. For men who end up with low testosterone, it’s very easy to make up for it,” he explains.

Under the guidance of a healthcare professional, testosterone replacement therapy, in the form of injections, pills, patches or gels, can restore normal testosterone levels in men.