Daphne J.
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Home › Treatments › Fertility preservation before cancer treatment
TREATMENTS · FERTILITY PRESERVATION
Before cancer treatment starts, ask about fertility.
Some chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery can damage eggs, sperm or the womb. Freezing eggs, embryos or sperm before treatment keeps the option of a child for later.
- Seen urgently
- Sperm: often frozen within days
- Eggs: stimulation can start any day
- We work with your oncologist
- Urgent consultation with your oncologist's plan
- Eggs collected or sperm sample given
- Frozen at minus 196°C
- Cancer treatment starts on schedule
Is this right for you?
Ask us today if any of these sound like you.
Worth discussing if
- I've been diagnosed with cancer and may want children
- My chemotherapy or radiotherapy starts in the next few weeks
- My surgery involves the ovaries, testes or womb
- Nobody has talked to me about fertility yet
- My child or teenager has cancer
PROBABLY NOT YET
Your cancer comes first. The plan fits your oncologist’s timeline, or we say so.
- You are freezing for other reasons, such as age. Egg freezing explains the options.
- You are hoping for a promise. Freezing keeps a chance, not a promise.
- Preserving would delay your cancer treatment unsafely. If preservation would delay treatment unsafely, we say so.
- You are asking for a child or young teenager. Children and young teenagers need a specialist paediatric team; we will tell you where to go.
Freezing for other reasons, such as age? Egg freezing explains the options.
01Does cancer treatment cause infertility?
Some cancer treatments can reduce or end fertility, depending on the drugs, the dose, the area treated and your age.
Many chemotherapy drugs can reduce the number of eggs in the ovaries or stop sperm production, for a while or for good. Radiotherapy to the pelvis, abdomen or brain, and surgery on the ovaries, testes or womb, can also affect fertility. Not everyone becomes infertile. Your oncologist can tell you how likely your treatment is to affect fertility.
Honest note
The fertility question is often not asked in the first oncology meeting. Ask it. Guidelines (ASCO 2025, NICE) say every person of reproductive age should be told about the risk before treatment starts.
02What are the options for women before chemotherapy?
The main options for women are freezing eggs, or freezing embryos if you have a partner, after a course of hormone injections and an egg collection.
Egg freezing needs no partner. Embryo freezing uses your partner's sperm and needs both of your written consent under the ART Act 2021. With a random-start protocol, injections can begin on any day of your cycle instead of waiting for a period, so there is less delay. For hormone-sensitive cancers such as some breast cancers, a medicine such as letrozole is often added to keep oestrogen levels low during stimulation.
How egg freezing works03What if there is no time for egg freezing?
If treatment cannot wait for a stimulation cycle, ovarian tissue freezing is an established option in some centres, because it needs no hormone injections.
A piece of the ovary is removed by keyhole surgery and frozen, to be replaced after cancer treatment. It is also the main option for girls who have not reached puberty. It is not available in every centre. [CONFIRM: whether Jananam offers ovarian tissue freezing, or where we refer]
04Can injections protect the ovaries during chemotherapy?
GnRH agonist injections during chemotherapy may offer some protection, but guidelines say they should not replace egg, embryo or tissue freezing.
ASCO (2025) says they may be offered alongside established methods, mainly for women with breast cancer. Ask your oncologist whether they suit your treatment. We can discuss them with you and with your oncologist.
05What are the options for men before chemotherapy?
Men can freeze sperm before chemotherapy, and it should be done before the first dose, because chemotherapy can damage sperm quickly.
You give a semen sample at the clinic, and more than one sample can often be frozen over a few days. If no sperm is found, or a sample is not possible, sperm can sometimes be retrieved from the testis in a small procedure (TESA or TESE) and frozen. Teenage boys who have reached puberty can usually bank sperm too. [CONFIRM: collection outside clinic hours or at the oncology hospital]
Sperm freezing06How do the fertility and cancer teams work together?
Your oncologist sets the treatment start date, and we plan preservation to fit inside it.
We need your diagnosis, planned treatment and start date. We may check your blood counts and ask your oncologist whether egg collection is safe for you. Children and young teenagers need a specialist paediatric team; we will tell you where to go.
Honest note
Freezing keeps a chance, not a promise. The number of eggs, your age and the cancer itself all affect what freezing can do, and we will say plainly what it can and cannot do for you.
The urgent pathway, step by step.
- 1
Message or call us As soon as you know your treatment plan
Tell us the diagnosis and start date. We see cancer patients as a priority. [CONFIRM: how soon]
- 2
Urgent consultation [CONFIRM: same day or within 1 to 2 days]
Egg reserve (AMH) and scan, or a semen analysis. Options, risks and consent explained. We talk to your oncologist.
- 3
Sperm freezing (men) Often within days, before the first dose
One or more samples frozen. Surgical retrieval if no sperm is found in the sample.
- 4
Stimulation (women) Usually 8 to 12 days of injections
Random-start: injections begin on any day of the cycle. Scans and blood tests track the eggs.
- 5
Egg collection and freezing About 36 hours after the trigger injection
Eggs collected under sedation. Frozen as eggs, or fertilised and frozen as embryos.
- 6
Cancer treatment starts On your oncologist's schedule
Eggs, embryos or sperm stay in storage. We plan their use with you when your oncologist says pregnancy is safe.
Your first visit
1
Talk
Your diagnosis, treatment plan and start date; bring your oncologist's letter.
2
Test
AMH and scan for women, semen analysis for men, and routine blood tests.
3
Plan
Which option fits your timeline, with your oncologist's agreement.
4
Treat
Sperm frozen within days, or stimulation started straight away.
Questions patients ask
Still unsure? Ask us on WhatsApp — a real person replies.
Can I freeze my eggs before chemotherapy?
Yes, most women can freeze eggs before chemotherapy if there is time for one course of hormone injections before treatment starts. Random-start stimulation can begin on any day of the cycle, which reduces the wait.
Does cancer cause infertility?
Cancer treatment, more than cancer itself, is the main cause of infertility in people with cancer. The risk depends on the drugs, dose, area treated and your age, so ask your oncologist before treatment starts.
Should men freeze sperm before chemotherapy?
Yes, guidelines say sperm freezing should be offered to every man before cancer treatment that may affect fertility. It should be done before the first dose, as chemotherapy can damage sperm quickly.
Will fertility preservation delay my cancer treatment?
Sperm freezing rarely delays treatment. Egg freezing takes about one stimulation cycle, and we plan it with your oncologist so treatment starts safely and on time.
Is freezing eggs safe with breast cancer?
Egg freezing is commonly done before breast cancer treatment, with a medicine such as letrozole often added to keep oestrogen levels low. Your oncologist and fertility specialist decide together whether it is safe for you.
What are the options for children with cancer?
Children who have reached puberty may be able to freeze sperm or eggs; before puberty, the options are ovarian or testicular tissue freezing in specialist centres. We will guide your family to the right paediatric team.
Where can I get fertility preservation in Chennai?
Jananam Fertility Centre freezes eggs, embryos and sperm at its Neelankarai hospital, off ECR in Chennai. Cancer patients are seen urgently; message us on WhatsApp or call +91 89399 94244.
In their words, not ours.
Daphne Jonathaan
· Google
The nurses are truly exceptional; they are kind, caring, and always went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable.
Sources (4)
- American Society of Clinical Oncology (Journal of Clinical Oncology): Fertility Preservation in People With Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update (Su et al., 2025)
- ESHRE: Female fertility preservation guideline (2020)
- NICE: Fertility problems quality standard, statement 9: Cryopreservation
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA): Fertility preservation
Treatment starts soon? Message us today.
Tell us your diagnosis and start date. A real person from Dr Vani's team replies, usually within minutes during clinic hours (Mon to Sat, 9am to 5pm. Sunday closed.). Oncologists can call us directly: [CONFIRM: direct referral number].
Message us urgently on WhatsAppCall +91 89399 94244
Sex selection is prohibited in India under the PCPNDT Act, 1994 and the ART Act, 2021.