For patients

To then discover that the treatment required could cause infertility can be overwhelming.

Discovering that there is treatment that can help to preserve fertility can give hope.

We have resources to help you understand the fertility preservation options that we provide.

Causes of infertility

Cancer treatment, conditioning treatment before a bone marrow / stem cell transplant or certain genetic conditions can lead to accelerated loss of eggs in girls or damage to the sperm-producing cells in boys, which can cause infertility.

The level of risk of infertility will depend on the type of chemotherapy/radiotherapy required.

All patients should be advised at the time of diagnosis about the affect their condition/treatment will have on fertility and this will determine whether fertility preservation treatment should be considered.

If you are not clear about the infertility risk for yourself or a child in your care, ask your consultant about this as early as possible - ideally before starting treatment.

We offer children, young adults and their families/carers and clinicians advice about the effect a diagnosis or treatment may have on fertility and the potential fertility preservation treatment options available.

This may be at diagnosis, the start of treatment or after treatment has been completed.

We hold a regular onco-fertility clinic to see patients and arrange appropriate tests. This is called the Oxford Teenage and Young Adult Fertility Preservation (OTYAFP) Clinic.