Testicular Cancer & Fertility Preservation: All You Need To Know!

Read Time - 4 min read

Picture a man who is about to reach his life’s peak time. He has a stable career, an amazing partner, and a dream of expanding his family soon. But out of nowhere, life takes a harsh turn, and he is diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Suddenly, his future becomes a big question mark —"?" It feels like the rug has been pulled from under his feet, leaving his dreams and plans in disarray.

Yes, it can happen to any man out there if they ignore the symptoms behind it. In fact, many studies reveal that 1 in 250 men can get diagnosed with testicular cancer at some point in their life. ¹ Thus, it's necessary for men to understand the concept of testicular cancer.

So, let’s delve into this blog to understand more about testicular cancer, its risk factors and how it affects fertility in men.

What Is Testicular Cancer?

Testicles (testes or gonads) are paired glands located within the scrotum, a sac beneath the male sexual organ. They produce sperm and male sex hormones. ² When the cells in the testicles multiply uncontrollably and rapidly, a cancer is formed. Testicular cancer is one of the most common types of malignancy. Many young men (ages 15-45) get diagnosed with testicular cancer, also known as germ cell tumours. ³

The germ cell tumour can be semino and non-seminomatous, based on the cell types turning cancerous.

Seminoma cancer affects younger men and spreads slowly, while non-seminomatous one grows faster and tends to develop in older men. ⁴

The Risk Factors Of Testicular Cancer

Certain factors can increase the risk of growing testicular cancer, yet they don’t directly cause it. Here are a few of these factors:

Men aged 15 to 45 have a higher chance of developing testicular cancer. Thus, age significantly increases testicular cancer risk. ⁵

Undescended Testicles

It’s a condition when one or both the testicles do not develop near the scrotum at birth. Men with this testicular condition have a higher chance of getting this cancer. Therefore, it’s important for him to monitor and track his health to reduce cancer risk. ⁵

Family History

If a man already has a history of cancer in one testicle, he is expected to develop it in another. To prevent any further occurrence of testicular cancer, regular checkups and screening are important. ⁵

Testicular Cancer Treatment & Infertility

With testicular cancer, the road to fatherhood can be challenging. Studies show that 6 to 24% of individuals diagnosed with testicular cancer end up producing no sperm after the treatment. And about 50% of individuals have lower sperm counts compared to normal (20 to 150 million sperm per milliliter). ^{6 7}

One of the causes behind low sperm production can be cancer treatments like chemotherapy. However, the decline in sperm quantity and health can depend on the medication used, dosage taken and a man’s age during treatment.^{8 9}

Thus, this highlights the importance of preserving healthy sperm before undergoing cancer treatments.

Sperm Preservation: A Hope For Preserving The Road To Parenthood!

Fatherhood dreams have been a hope for many men surviving testicular cancer. With the right banking options, they can easily preserve their healthy sperm and get one step closer to realizing their fatherhood dreams. However, selecting the right bank to preserve your sperm is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness and reliability of this process.

That's where LifeCell’s SpermVault comes in! As India’s first private long-term sperm bank, SpermVault offers a variety of storage plans at affordable rates. It also offers an at-home self-collection kit, which checks for 11 sperm parameters and 14 sperm conditions, ensuring the highest credibility for your stored samples. Moreover, with SpermVault you can freeze your sperm for up to 10 years and become a father when you are ready.

So, gentlemen, take charge of your future reproductive health today with SpermVault.

For more information on SpermVault, visit www.lifecell.in.

FAQs

How To Self-Inspect For Testicular Cancer?

Visually inspect and examine each testicle for lumps or abnormalities. If you find any, promptly discuss them with your doctor for further analysis. ¹⁰