Can Prostate Cancer Cause Infertility

What Types Of Hormone Therapy Are Used For Prostate Cancer

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer;can block the production or;use of androgens . Currently available treatments can do so in several ways:

• reducing;androgen production by the testicles
• blocking the action of androgens throughout;the body
• block androgen production throughout the body

Treatments that reduce androgen production by the testicles are the most commonly used hormone therapies for prostate cancer;and the first type of hormone therapy that most men with prostate cancer receive. This form of hormone therapy includes:

Treatments that block the action of androgens in the body are typically used when ADT stops working. Such treatments include:

Treatments that block the production of androgens throughout the body include:

Can Prostatitis Cause Infertility In Men

Unfortunately, it is possible that prostatitis leads to infertility, especially when the condition becomes chronic. The prostate gland is responsible for the male fertility and its inflammation can affect this area. The good news is that it is possible to reverse this kind of infertility through the right methods of treatment. Contact your physician and inquire about such treatment approaches.

Radiotherapy Or Hormone Therapy

Men who have had radiotherapy or hormone therapy might produce less semen, or no semen. Radiotherapy and hormone therapy can also damage sperm and reduce sperm count. So it might be more difficult for you to have children naturally.

It is still possible for men to be fertile during their treatment with radiotherapy, hormone therapy or chemotherapy. Radiation or hormone or chemotherapy drugs could damage a developing baby. So men are advised to use contraception to avoid pregnancy while having these treatments. ;

• Fertility after prostate brachytherapy with Iode 125 permanent implants for localized prostate cancerDelaunay and othersProg Urol, 2012. Volume 22, Pages 53-7

• Review of the Different Treatments and Management for Prostate Cancer and FertilityS Tran and othersUrology, 2015. Volume 86, Pages 936-41

• Lifestyle factors correlate with the risk of late pelvic symptoms after prostatic radiotherapyRJ Thomas and others

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What Are My Other Options To Build A Family

Some men arent able to sperm bank before treatment or arent successful in having a child using their frozen sperm. Other ways to build a family are using donor sperm or adoption.

Donor sperm

Using donor sperm involves using sperm from another man to impregnate your female partner. Young, healthy men provide their sperm to a sperm bank for donation. Most donors are anonymous, but some are willing to have the child contact them when they reach adulthood. You can select a donor based on various characteristics and traits that are shared on the sperm bank website.

You may also have a relative or friend who is willing to donate sperm for you. While this may be a good option for you, even with the best of intentions, you may have problems if expectations arent clearly defined. Sometimes, a relative or friend who wants to help will make an offer without understanding all thats involved. No matter how well you know the person, your donor should have psychological and medical screening. You should also both speak with lawyers who specialize in reproductive law.

Fertility Preservation Options For Boys And Men

Men and boys with cancer have options to preserve their fertility. These procedures may be available at the hospital where you are receiving cancer treatment or at a fertility preservation clinic.

Talk with your doctor about the best option for you based on your age, the type of cancer you have, and the specific treatment you will be receiving. The success rate, financial cost, and availability of these procedures varies.

• Sperm banking is the most common and easy option for young men of reproductive age who would like to have children one day. Samples of semen are collected and checked under a microscope in the laboratory. The sperm are then frozen and stored for the future. Sperm can be frozen for an indefinite amount of time.
• Testicular shielding is a procedure in which a protective cover is placed on the outside of the body to shield the testicles from scatter radiation to the pelvis when other parts of the body are being treated with radiation.
• Testicular sperm extraction is a procedure for males who are not able to produce a semen sample. Sperm is collected through a medical procedure and frozen for future use.
• Testicular tissue freezing is still considered an experimental procedure at most hospitals. For boys who have not gone through puberty and are at high risk of infertility, this procedure may be an option.

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Tips For Addressing Fertility Concerns During Cancer Care

Know you’re not alone.;Being told you have cancer and the treatment you need may affect your ability to have a child may be devastating. Its important to understand you are not alone. There are other people out there who may support you if you let them.

Ask yourself questions.;If you’re at risk for infertility, ask yourself questions to better understand your feelings about parenthood. Have you always wanted to have children? Are you unsure if you will want a child, but at least want the option? How would you feel about having a child that isnt biologically related to you? Are you open to using donor sperm or donor embryos?

Be upfront with your doctor.;If possible, talk with your doctor about fertility concerns before treatment begins. Ask how treatment is likely to affect your fertility. Find out about options to protect your fertility before and during treatment. Ask about whether anything can be done to lessen the effects of treatment on your fertility. An open discussion with your doctor will help you better anticipate what to expect.

Communicate with your partner.;If you’re in a relationship, you and your partner may or may not be ready to have a family yet. Regardless of which stage of family planning you’re in, open communication is important. Let your partner know how you feel about having children and ask how your partner feels.

How Prostate Surgery Affects Fertility

Each type of surgery has different risks, but after a full prostatectomy, you will no longer create seminal fluid and therefore, will be unable to conceive a child naturally. Most prostatectomies also remove seminal vesicles, as theyre directly connected to the prostate and therefore have no use when the prostate is gone. Since you will no longer be able to make semen, youll experience infertility after prostate surgery. This doesnt mean you will no longer be able to orgasm; however, they will be what are considered dry orgasms that produce no semen. Dry orgasms still produce the same feeling of sensation of pleasure that result in an orgasm, the only difference is there will be no semen. While this can create a period of adjustment, over time many men get used to it and cant tell a difference. In some cases, men have even reported that their orgasms feel stronger or more pleasurable.

In some cases, prostate surgery can also lead to damaged nerves that interfere with the ejaculation process. This means that semen will either no longer be made or it wont be able to leave the body naturally. Retrograde ejaculation is also a possible side effect in certain prostate surgeries, so always talk to your doctor beforehand to better understand your risks and what to expect.

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Male Infertility Linked To Higher Risk Of Prostate Cancer

Men who have had fertility treatment to assist conception in the past have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, a Swedish cohort study has reported.

Researchers found that men with infertility were more likely diagnosed with prostate cancer in the years after fertility treatment, and were more prone to develop the disease at a young age, when compared with fathers who conceived naturally.

‘This large register-based study show men fathering children through assisted reproduction have a 30 to 60 percent increased risk of prostate cancer compared with men conceiving naturally,’ said study first author Yahia Al-Jebari at Lund University in Malmö, Sweden.

She added: ‘So the benefits of prostate cancer screening should be considered for this group.’

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, analysed data from all registered men who fathered a child between January 1994 and December 2014 in Sweden. Among almost 1.2 million births, about three;percent resulted from IVF or ICSI .

Overall, few of the men in the treatment-group developed prostate cancer , however the risk was increased compared with the non-treatment group . This translated to a 30 percent increased risk with IVF, and a 60 percent increased risk with ICSI of developing prostate cancer compared with men who did not undergo assisted reproduction.

What Causes Prostate Cancer

Researchers do not know exactly what causes prostate cancer. But they have found some risk factors and are trying to learn just how these factors might cause prostate cells to become cancer cells.

On a basic level, prostate cancer is caused by changes in the DNA of a normal prostate cell. DNA is the chemical in our cells that makes up our genes, which control how our cells function. We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than just how we look.

Some genes control when our cells grow, divide into new cells, and die:

• Certain genes that help cells grow, divide, and stay alive are called oncogenes.
• Genes that normally keep cell growth under control, repair mistakes in DNA, or cause cells to die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes.

Cancer can be caused by DNA mutations that keep oncogenes turned on, or that turn off tumor suppressor genes. These types of gene changes can lead to cells growing out of control.

DNA changes can either be inherited from a parent or can be acquired during a persons lifetime.

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Having Cancer Doesnt Mean You Cant Have Children

Most people with cancer receive their diagnosis well past the age when they are considering having children. The average age of a person when they receive a cancer diagnosis is 66. Still, nearly 10 percent of all patientsmore than 150,000 a yearare still young enough to have children at the time of their diagnosis. Many of those patients will have a cancer or receive treatments that may affect their fertility.

Being told you have cancer;and;you may lose your fertility from treatment may be devastating. Fortunately, there are a variety of options to preserve fertility for individuals affected by cancer who wish to have children.

Important Information About The Prostate

The prostate is a golf-ball sized reproductive organ in males that surrounds the urethra. Its main purpose is making seminal fluid to assist in the fertilization of female eggs. As we mentioned, the prostate continues to grow throughout your entire life and can suffer from problems like benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer. Luckily, when prostate cancer is caught early, it has close to a 99% cure rate. However, this usually means that you will need to have either some or all of your prostate removed. Prostate cancer is extremely common and hundreds of thousands of prostate surgeries are performed every year.

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Recommendations For Preserving Fertility

The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends that all men with cancer discuss the risk of infertility and fertility preservation options with their doctors as soon as possible before cancer treatment begins. If you are interested in preserving fertility, you should ask for a referral to a reproductive specialist, even if you are unsure if you want to have children in the future.

The options depend on several factors:

• Your age

• Your physical and sexual maturity

• Your relationship status, such as having a female partner to provide eggs

• Your feelings about specific procedures

ASCOs recommendations for preserving fertility include:

Sperm banking. This procedure involves the freezing and storing semen. This is best done before treatment begins, as there is a higher risk of genetic damage in the sperm collected once treatment has started. Men may use the semen later. Options include intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization .

With IVF, a health professional collects a womans eggs. The stored sperm fertilizes the eggs in a laboratory. Then, the embryo is placed in the womans body to develop.

Sperm banking is an option for most post-pubescent men. A man may father a child even with few sperm. This is possible through a procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection . During ICSI, a sperm is injected directly into an egg obtained during IVF.

Hormonal therapy. Hormonal therapy is not effective for preserving fertility in men.

When Can Erectile Dysfunction Occur After Treatment

• Surgery. Some degree of erectile dysfunction usually occurs right after surgery to remove the prostate, regardless of whether the technique is performed that tries to spare the nerve that controls erections.

The severity of the erectile dysfunction depends on the type of surgery, stage of cancer, and skill of the surgeon.

If the nerve-sparing technique is used, recovery from erectile dysfunction may occur within the first two years following the procedure. Recovery of erectile function after a non-nerve-sparing surgery is unlikely, but possible.

The use of vacuum devices or erectile dysfunction drugs after the body has healed from surgery may improve the quality of erections and speed the return of normal sexual function .

If an erection can be achieved after surgery, one does not lose the ability to have an orgasm. However, they may be “dry” orgasms in which little ejaculate is produced. This results in infertility for most men, although most men are older when they are diagnosed for prostate cancer and may not be concerned. If desired, you could talk to your doctor about “banking” sperm before the procedure.

• Radiation therapy. The onset of erectile dysfunction following radiation therapy is gradual and usually begins about six months following the treatment.

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How To Prevent Prostate Cancer Naturally

Follow these prostate cancer prevention tips:

#1. Follow a Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle ideally protects you from various diseases, including prostate cancer.;

Hence, smoking and drinking should be avoided as much as one can do!

In fact, smoking is one of the major causes responsible for the widespread menace of cancer.;

Hence its ideal to stay away from smoking.;

And that is, obviously, independent of the fact whether celibacy can cause prostate cancer or not.

#2. Following a Proper Meal Plan

A healthy diet rich in fruits and veggies and low in refined foods is ideal for a healthy prostate.

It protects as well as promotes the healthy functioning of your gland.

According to experts, you can have a diet plan containing whole grains, fruits, veggies, tomatoes, and yogurt.

#3. Do Not Use Supplements

People usually prefer going for nutrient supplements or for supplements that boost performance.

But such supplements may have a negative impact on your glands increasing the risk of prostate cancer.

Hence, try taking foods rich in specific nutrients instead of supplements.

#4. Using Medicines Right

People often skip the medications or overdo them the wrong way.;

Apart from this, it has also been seen that people take medicines without proper consultation.

For example, long usage of aspirin.

Such practices harm your glands.

#5. Have More Sex and Masturbate Less

Ejaculatory frequency has a controversial link with reducing the risk of prostate cancer.

Can Prostate Cancer Be Prevented

There are no clear prevention strategies for prostate cancer. There is some conflicting evidence that a healthy diet composed of low fat, high vegetables and fruits may help reduce your risk of prostate cancer. Routine screening, with PSA blood test and physical exam, is important to detect prostate cancer at an early stage. A healthy diet and regular exercise are also critical in maintaining good health and preventing disease in general.;

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Treatment For Benign Prostate Hyperplasia

Treatment for benign prostate hyperplasia can involve:

• Lifestyle changes, such as limiting a night-time consumption of liquids, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, avoiding medication such as diuretics, decongestants and antihistamines and getting more exercise, as well as dietary improvements, such as eating more fibre, avoiding artificial sweeteners and sweetened beverages.
• Medication, such as alpha-blockers or 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors.
• Interventions, such as the Urolift® system, a non-surgical proprietary device that uses tiny implants to lift the prostate away from the urethra and thereby relieve BPH symptoms that result from pressure on the urethra.
• Surgical procedures, such as a prostatectomy , transurethral microwave thermotherapy , prostate laser, and Transurethral Resection of the Prostate .
• Herbal prostate treatments, such as saw palmetto extract. Saw palmetto extract is made from the fruit of the saw palmetto, which is native to the southeast and Gulf coasts of North America and may potentially assist in reducing urinary frequency and increasing urinary flow.

Treatment of prostate cancer can involve:

How Else Can I Reduce My Risk For Cancer

The following may help reduce the risk of developing cancer:

• Choose a healthy diet to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains and eat less red and processed meats. These actions may reduce the risk of developing many types of cancer as well as other diseases.
• Exercise regularly.
• Do not smoke. If you currently smoke, quit. Avoid exposure to second-hand smoke. For more information on quitting smoking, visit the NYS Smokerâs Quitline at www.nysmokefree.com or call 1-866-NY-QUITS.
• Discuss the risks and benefits of medical imaging, such as CT scans, with your health care provider to avoid unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation. This is particularly important for children.
• Talk with your health care provider about recommended cancer screenings.

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