Day of hope of fertility for the cancer patients
Now cancer patients need not lose hope for having a child as it is possible to preserve sperms, eggs and oocytes before starting the chemo and radio therapy.The topic was discussed by cancer experts here in the first of its kind Continuous Medical Education (CME) on this subject which was organized by Jindal IVF and Sant Memorial Nursing Home, Chandigarh. Also participating were faculty from the PGIMER and the Fertility Preservation Society of India.
Cancers especially those of blood, bones, lymphatic system, breast and several other organs are common in the young at reproductive age. Lymphomas and leukaemias are particularly notorious. Several of these cancers are treatable with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These patients have a good prognosis and life span following therapy. Unfortunately however, the treatments have significant side effects, most importantly, the loss of fertility. It is quite frustrating for young couples to lose the hope of ever having a child.
As per the experts, now it is possible to preserve the sperms, eggs and oocytes before starting cancer treatments, to be used later for fertilization to have a child. The technology including embryo preservation and vitrification is fast expanding and has been recently introduced and successfully used at Jindal IVF.
The CME was addressed by several speakers including Dr Umesh Jindal, Dr Swati Verma, Dr Sheetal Jindal and Dr Sanjeev Maheshwari from the Jindal IVF; Dr Shalini Gainder and Dr Kapoor from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr Nalini Mahajan from Delhi and Dr Veena Jain from Ludhiana. The speakers outlined the concept, indications, techniques and success of fertility preservation. They stressed that there is a great need for provision of adequate information of the different issues to the patient and his/her family and for a closer association between the fertility specialists and the oncologists.
