Is it still possible to have children following treatment for testicular cancer?

Removing a testicle does not affect a man’s sexuality, potency or fertility.

However, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can permanently or temporarily affect sperm maturation. The extent of this effect depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. Sperm maturation does generally recover and patients usually have normal fertility. Nevertheless, we advise young men with testicular cancer who may want children in the future to store samples of their sperm in a sperm bank before having their testicle removed, or, failing this, before having chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Sperm storage involves storing frozen sperm (cryopreservation). When a man wants to start a family, this can be thawed and used for artificial insemination.

We have a close long-term partnership with Kinderwunsch Centrum München in this area.

Patients will need to contact their health insurer to determine whether their insurer will pay for this service.

Are children born to men who have had testicular cancer more likely to have abnormalities?

While there is a theoretical risk that chemotherapy or radiotherapy could damage the genetic material in the sperm cells, no increase in abnormalities in men who have been treated for testicular cancer has been observed in practice. To be on the safe side, however, people who have been treated for testicular cancer should avoid having children for the first 1–2 years after treatment.

Where can I find more information on testicular cancer?

Interdisziplinäre Arbeitsgruppe Hodentumoren (testicular cancer working group):
www.hodenkrebs.de

Cancer information service provided by the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum in Heidelberg:
www.krebsinformation.de