I am a man that has been treated for cancer-does that mean I'm infertile?

There are several factors that determine the impact your cancer treatment has had on your fertility. Depending on the type of cancer, the type of cancer treatment, and your age, your fertility may or may not have been affected.
Once radiation therapy or chemotherapy has been initiated, it can often have a negative effect on the sperm that develop within the testicle and epididymus. In many cases, it is unknown exactly what effect the cancer treatment has had on an individual’s sperm. Though it is possible that chemotherapy or radiation therapy may damage an individual’s sperm, the degree of damage is often difficult to measure. Infertility specialists can assess various qualities related to the health of the sperm, such as the movement (motility), the overall appearance, and the shape of the sperm.
If a sperm’s DNA is damaged, this may negatively affect the ability of a sperm to fertilize an egg and, additionally, if fertilization does occur, it may affect the ability of the subsequent embryo that’s formed to undergo normal development within the female reproductive tract. This is something that will need to be determined by a fertility specialist.
It’s also important to realize that the underlying cancer process can also impair a man’s reproductive potential. The body’s response to the cancer may negatively affect a man’s sperm concentration, his desire for sexual activity, and his ability to achieve and maintain erections. All of these things are very important in a man’s ability to have children. Understanding the difference between impotence and infertility is a key part of determining to what level cancer and cancer treatment have affected your body and mind. Click on the links to the right to get more information.