Q&A: How will chemotherapy affect my fertility?

The prospect of undergoing chemotherapy can be overwhelming and scary all by itself. Having to worry about your future fertility can add another whole layer of concern to the scenario. Most types of chemotherapy will induce early menopause, which may be temporary or permanent. The good news is that there are some procedures that can offer hope to women who may need chemotherapy and/or radiation to treat various forms of cancer.

According to FertileHope.org, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to education and support of cancer patients, there are a few factors that can influence possible future pregnancy:

• Age at diagnosis or treatment
• Pre-treatment fertility status
• Type and dose of chemotherapy
• Location and dose of radiation
• Surgical area

• Retrieving and freezing your eggs for future use
• Retrieving your eggs for in vitro fertilization and subsequently freezing the resulting embryo for implantation after treatments have concluded
• Ovarian cryopreservation and grafting (removing ovarian tissue for freezing and possible implantation after treatments have concluded)