Cancer treatment, especially chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, can affect your ability to have children (fertility) in different ways:

Orchidectomy
Having one testicle removed won’t affect your sex life and usually won’t stop you from having children. But if you need chemotherapy or if your other testicle isn’t making enough sperm, your doctor may suggest sperm banking before surgery, just in case.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy can lower your sperm count, which might make it harder to have children for a while or, in rare cases, forever. That’s why your doctor may suggest sperm banking before treatment.
There’s no evidence that chemotherapy affects future children, but small amounts of the medication could be in your semen during treatment. To protect your partner, it’s best to use a condom during treatment and for a short time afterward.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy helps lower the chance of seminoma coming back in the lymph nodes in your belly. Radiotherapy usually won’t affect your ability to have children, but your doctor may still recommend storing sperm just in case.
Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection
Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection (RPLND) is surgery to remove cancer from the lymph nodes in your belly. It can sometimes affect the nerves that control the release of sperm, causing it to go into your bladder instead of coming out of your penis (this is called retrograde ejaculation). If you haven't already, you may want to store sperm before surgery.

Sperm storage

What is sperm storage?
Storing sperm, also called sperm banking, means freezing sperm so it can be used later for artificial insemination.

Where can you find a sperm bank or clinic?

Fertility clinics help people have children. They offer services like storing sperm or eggs, fertility treatments, and other ways to support pregnancy. Your healthcare team can give you information about fertility clinics near you. Sperm can be stored for may years.

Visiting the sperm bank or clinic

You’ll need to give a sperm sample by masturbation, which will be frozen and stored for future use. When you’re ready to have a child, the sperm can be thawed and used to help with pregnancy. Before storing your sperm, you’ll have blood tests to check for viruses like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.

You may need to visit the clinic a few times to give a sperm sample. For the best quality sample, try not to ejaculate for three days before storage. Sperm banking doesn’t work for everyone because a low sperm count, poor sperm quality, and the freezing and thawing process can affect whether the sperm can be used in the future.

In some cases, you can collect a sperm sample at home using a special condom from the sperm bank. This condom won’t have any lubrication or chemicals that could harm the sperm. You’ll need to take the sample to the sperm bank within an hour.

If you can’t give a sperm sample, doctors may be able to collect sperm directly from your testicles with a small surgery. They take a tiny piece of tissue while you’re asleep under anaesthesia and check for sperm. If sperm is found, it can be used for IVF (fertilizing an egg outside the body). It only takes one healthy sperm to have a child.

Possible treatments