Cancer and Infertility: How Surrogacy Offers a Path to Parenthood

Many cancer treatments can affect the fertility of women or girls. In the consultation process, a doctor will usually inform the patient if the cancer treatment they will go through will increase the individual’s risk of infertility. It is essential to talk about cancer and infertility and how surrogacy offers a path to parenthood. Therefore, if the topic is not brought up by the doctor, the patient should endeavor to ask about it. Some pertinent questions that should be asked by the patient include:

• If the treatment for cancer could increase their risk of infertility
• Could the treatment make it difficult to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy to term in the future?
• Are there alternative treatments that will not risk the patient’s fertility?
• The fertility preservation options open to the patient, and which the clinic or hospital offers?
• The chances of return of fertility after the treatment?
• If there are fertility specialists the patient could visit in case the doctor is not qualified

Some of the factors that may affect the fertility of a cancer patient that is undergoing the treatment include:

• Their normal fertility levels
• The age
• The type of cancer
• The treatment method used for the treatment
• The dose required for the treatment
• The duration of the treatment
• Medical history and other health factors
• Time elapsed since the treatment

How cancer treatments can impact fertility 

While cancer treatments are crucial for a patient’s present and future health, they may cause harm to the other body systems in the course of the treatment. When the treatment harms the reproductive system and glands, it may pose a serious barrier to the chances of the individual getting pregnant and delivering in the future. This barrier may be permanent or temporary, so it is important to consult with the specialist and know all the available options and know what to expect before embarking on the treatment. Some of the different cancer therapies and how they can impact fertility include:

Radiation therapy 

When the radiation is near the abdomen, the pelvis, or the spine, it can affect the reproductive organs. Some precautions can be taken to shield the ovary from the beams. They can be protected by ovarian shielding or by a surgical procedure where the ovaries are moved away from the radiation area (oophoropexy). Radiation to the head can also cause harm to the pituitary gland, which signals the ovaries to produce reproductive hormones like estrogen needed for ovulation. The dose and duration of radiation therapy to any part of the body can affect a reproductive mechanism, which could lead to temporary or permanent infertility

Chemotherapy 

This therapy, especially when done with alkylating agents, can affect the ovaries, causing them to stop releasing eggs and producing estrogen. This is referred to as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). This syndrome is sometimes permanent, and the ovarian cycle and fertility levels return after some time. Other times, it is permanent and the fertility levels do not return. The individual may experience hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats, and irregular or total absence of menstrual cycles. The therapy can also significantly lower the ovarian reserve. This can severely affect women who are closer to their natural menopause leading to permanent infertility.

Surgery 

When done for cancer that affects the reproductive organ or the pelvic area can harm nearby reproductive tissues and cause scarring, which can lead to decreased fertility levels. The location of the cancer and its size are the factors that can inform the effects of the surgery on fertility levels.

Hormone therapy (endocrine therapy) 

When used in the treatment of cancers, it can disrupt the menstrual cycle, which may affect fertility levels. The effects are dependent on the particular hormone that is used and may bear the symptoms seen in menopause like hot flashes, etc.

Other treatments 

Treatments like bone marrow transplants, peripheral blood transfusion, or stem cell transplants involve some level of radiation and/or chemotherapy and may damage the ovaries which may cause infertility. It is crucial to ask the doctor if therapies like targeted cancer therapy and immunotherapy can also affect the patient’s fertility levels.

The Role of Surrogacy 

One of the most upsetting, challenging, and long-lasting side effects of cancer treatment for some women can be infertility. Most patients benefit from discussing it with their doctor beforehand. One of the ways of getting around the infertility problem is surrogacy. The patient would have opted for fertility preservation methods before the cancer therapy for this option to be viable. This involves the harvesting and freezing of eggs or embryos in anticipation of a future time when the patient would need them for pregnancy. Surrogacy is an option for women whose uterus was damaged during the treatment, leading to an inability to carry a pregnancy to term. 

Surrogacy is the process where a woman called the surrogate carries a pregnancy for another woman or couple called the intended parent or parents due to the inability of the intended parent to carry a pregnancy to term. In this type of scenario, the type of surrogacy used is gestational or commercial surrogacy, this is because the egg to be fertilized and transferred or the embryo that is ready to be transferred has no genetic connection to the surrogate. The surrogate then carries the baby to term and delivers it, then hands it over to the intended parents. Surrogacy is a viable option for women that have their fertility affected by cancer therapy that they went through. 

How do Surrogacy Agencies help?

There are fertility agencies that offer the service. They help the couple identify a suitable surrogate, help with the contract of the surrogacy process, and help with the medical aspects, they also provide psychologists that help with the mental health needs of both the surrogate and intended parents. They make the process as smooth for all the parties as possible, all for a premium fee. 

In some situations where surrogacy is not allowed in the country of residence of the couple, medical tourism is an option for these couples. Some medical travel agencies or meditour agencies that offer overseas medical treatment can help the couple locate a suitable country that can tend to their surrogacy needs. These services are a form of health tourism and can serve to fulfill the intended parents’ need for surrogacy in situations where it was not previously possible.