Written by Rebecca Budde, SIU School of Medicine
The devastation of a cancer diagnosis often leaves patients and their families intensely focused on fighting the cancer. The fear of dying overtakes thoughts of the future, especially the possibility of ever becoming a mother or father. But SIU physicians offer hope to patients as they give them the option to have biological children of their own in the future.
Because cancer treatments can leave patients sterile, SIU OB-GYN Dr. Ricardo Loret de Mola and urologist Dr. Tobias Kohler can arrange for patients to bank their sperm or eggs for the possibility of future biological children.  “It’s our job to focus on the things patients can’t think about, like their fertility, because they have tunnel vision,” Dr. Köhler says.  (Read about the experience of two patients Dr. Köhler helped here.)
Physicians recommend that cancer survivors wait two years after chemotherapy before trying to start a family the old fashioned way. However, for a couple in their late twenties or early thirties, two years can be a long wait, and delaying pregnancy can lead to other fertility concerns associated with aging. In the case of men, even if the sperm count returns to normal, the sperm quality may not, according to Dr. Köhler.
Dr. Köhler and Dr. Loret de Mola are so committed to helping patients preserve their fertility that they see the patient within 24 hours of a request. “We will drop everything to freeze the sperm or embryos for them,” Dr. Köhler says. “There is no cancer so urgent that we can’t take the time to preserve a person’s fertility.”
Though banking sperm or eggs seems like a logical choice, the service is significantly underused across the country. This may partially be due to the perception that successful pregnancy rates using banked sperm or embryos are low. However, with current technology, the success rate is near 70%, according to Dr. Köhler.
“It’s well worth it to have the chance of having your own biological children,” Dr. Köhler says. “Eighty percent of young people who are diagnosed with cancer end up doing well.” Once patients begin to broaden their focus from beating cancer, continuing their family tree becomes important. “The solution is simple: address the concerns with us so that down the road, you can have a happy, healthy family of your own.”
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