Page 29 - NCCN Guidelines for Patients® | Caring for Adolescents and Young Adults
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NCCN Guidelines for Patients
®
: Caring for Adolescents and Young Adults
Version 2013
Part 3: Preparing for the future
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Your doctor should discuss fertility issues with you before beginning cancer
treatment. The questions below can serve as a guideline to help you fill in any
gaps as you talk with your doctor.
•
Will the treatment you are recommending affect my ability to
have children?
•
If so, what is your best estimate for the chance I will become infertile
due to cancer therapy?
•
Are there other ways to treat this cancer that will not affect my fertility?
•
Is there anything that can be done during treatment to protect my fertility?
•
How long would it be safe to delay the start of my treatment, if I wanted
to consider fertility preservation?
•
Is there anything I can do after treatment to preserve my fertility?
•
How will I know if I am fertile when treatment is over? Are there tests that
I can take?
•
For women: After my treatments are over, how long will it take for my
periods to begin again? If I am not having periods, should I still use
contraceptives?
•
For women: Is pregnancy safe for me after treatment? If so, how long
should I wait after treatment to become pregnant?
•
Does this hospital have an oncofertility team?
•
If not, where can I find support for coping with fertility issues?
•
Can you refer me to a specialist who can help preserve my fertility?
Questions to ask your doctor about:
Fertility
Definitions
Alkylating agents:
Drugs
that damage instructions in
cancer cells so they can’t
grow and multiply
GI tract:
Group of organs
eaten food passes through
Hair follicles:
Tube-like
openings in the skin where
hairs develop and grow
Menopause:
Twelve or
more months without a
menstrual period
Mucus membrane:
Layer
of cells that moistens and
lines surfaces in the body
Ovaries:
Pair of female
organs that make eggs and
hormones
Sperm:
Male reproductive
cells formed in the testicles
Stem cell transplant:
Replacing damaged
immature blood-forming
cells called stem cells with
healthy cells
