The removal of one testicle, coupled with other aspects of treatment,can mean a decrease in fertility. Before undergoing treatment, virtually all testicular cancer patients “bank” sperm, which is like donating to a sperm bank, only the sperm is for your future use. Not all testicular cancer survivors become infertile, but banking sperm is considered good “insurance” to have, just in case. And we strongly recommend this.
*If you need financial assistance with getting the overnight male kit and to receive discounted storage please contact info@tcancer.org / 1-855-390-8231
Why Fertility Preservation
Men who are facing chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy for testicular cancer, transurethral resection of the prostate, vasectomy surgery or who have high risk occupational exposure to toxic substances should consider long-term freezing of sperm as they are at risk for sterilization, reduction in fertility potential or genetic damage. Many men in contact sports and those in military service also choose sperm banking as a means of preserving fatherhood.
*OverNite Male™ Kit for Cancer Patients
For men seeking to preserve fatherhood, the OverNite Male Kit is by far the most convenient, private and cost-effective method available. The OverNite Male Kit assures that you can securely preserve your specimen within 24 hours of your decision to do so… all from the privacy of your home. Storage provided by Reprotech.Often times, due to time constraints or geography, men seeking to preserve sperm are not able to get to one our Freezing Centers throughout the country. Often men just feel more comfortable collecting their specimen in the comfort and privacy of their own home.The OverNite Male™ Kit is the perfect answer to these concerns. OverNite Male gives men the comfort of being able to securely bank their sperm within 24 hours of their decision to do so. You can either order a kit online or by phone. Your Kit will be FedEx’d to your home with next day delivery M-Th if ordered by 1 PM Central Time. The Kit is easy to use and virtually foolproof. Once your specimen is within the storage media, it is now secure and safe for transport. You need only FedEx your kit back using the provided labels and you’ve preserved your hopes for fatherhood.Your specimen will be processed at the University of Illinois at Chicago Andrology Labs, one of the leading labs of its kind in the world. Your specimens will then be stored at ReproTech Ltd., the leading long term storage cryobank in the world.
Cancer Patients
ReproTech works closely with fertility service centers across the United States to make sperm cryopreservation services available nationwide. While RTL does not provide sperm freezing services, our network of freezing centers do. Once specimens have been preserved, we coordinate the transportation of your frozen semen to RTL for long-term storage.To locate a sperm freezing center near you, please see the ReproTech Fertility Preservation Network for more information. Sperm banking appointments are available for scheduling within one to three days of your initial call. While it is advantageous for patients to bank all frozen semen specimens prior to beginning therapies that can result in infertility, recent studies have shown that viable samples can be collected in the early stages of some treatments.
Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) and Sperm Freezing
When it is not possible to produce a sperm sample for storage, sperm can often be obtained from a testicular tissue biopsy using a technique called testicular sperm extraction (TESE). In many cases, sperm can be retrieved from the testes of men who have become infertile due to cancer treatments. TESE is a common procedure in many fertility service clinics across the country for adult men, but is less commonly used (and considered experimental) for fertility preservation in adolescent boys. TESE is an outpatient procedure where testicular tissue is surgically removed and frozen for future use. When needed, the testicular tissue is thawed, evaluated, and an attempt is made to locate and retrieve sperm cells, which may be used in combination with Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
Testicular Tissue Freezing for Pre-Pubescent Boys
Sperm banking is not an option for prepubertal boys who are not yet producing sperm. However, these boys do have stem cells in their testes that are poised to begin producing sperm at puberty. Currently there are some experimental studies underway to preserve testicular tissue obtained by biopsy and freeze it for future use. The tissue contains stem cells which will be able to start spermatogenesis (sperm production). Testicular tissue freezing is considered experimental and is generally only offered in a research setting with IRB oversight. Several studies are developing protocols that will enable scientists and physicians to use the frozen/thawed testicular tissue and stem cells to produce sperm in the laboratory or by re-implanting, years later, back into the individual. Research has proven these strategies are effective in animals and it is envisioned that they will also be effective in humans.
Financial Assistance:
Financial Assistance is available to individuals seeking fertility preservation services, please visit this website: http://www.reprotech.com/financial-assistance.htmlNote from TCF: The removal of one testicle, coupled with other aspects of treatment, can mean a decrease in fertility. Before undergoing treatment, virtually all testicular cancer patients “bank” sperm, which is like donating to a sperm bank, only the sperm is for your future use. Not all testicular cancer survivors become infertile, but banking sperm is considered good “insurance” to have, just in case. And we strongly recommend this. Contact us if you have more questions about banking sperm If you’ve been diagnosed with testicular cancer, we’re here to support you through it. Please reach out to us at info@tcancer.org or 1-855-390-8231.
Thank you to ReproTech for helping us make this page.
*If you need financial assistance with getting the overnight male kit and to receive discounted storage please contact info@tcancer.org / 1-855-390-8231
