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”…infertility has come to be defined
as the inability to conceive within 12
months.”
Causes: Sexually transmitted infections, such as Chlamydia or gonorrhea
can cause inflammation and permanent scarring of the fallopian tubes.
Having open tubes is essential for natural conception, as sperm must
travel through the tubes in order to reach and fertilize the ovulated egg.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/pcos-research-offerhope-infertility-struggle-33327635
Cancer can affect fertility directly by involving reproductive
organs and indirectly by suppressing reproductive function
or delaying reproduction because of time spent receiving
cancer treatment
Women who have undergone cancer
treatment may have enduring fertility
distress. Canada and Schover (2012)
Hynes et al. (1992) reported that a
sample of infertile women experienced
elevated levels of depressive symptoms
and lower self-esteem when compared
to fertile controls (p. 189)
Not all women become infertile after cancer treatment.
The impact that cancer treatment may have on fertility
depends on many factors. These include:
Cancer type and stage (how much it has spread)
Type and total dose (amount) of chemotherapy
Dose and location of radiation therapy
Site of surgery
Your age (risk of infertility rises as you age)
Your fertility status before treatment
The types and doses of chemotherapy drugs you get: We know that
certain chemotherapy medicines are more likely than others to
cause infertility, including Cytoxan (chemical name:
cyclophosphamide). Platinol (chemical name: cisplatin) and
Adriamycin (chemical name: doxorubicin) carry a medium risk of
losing fertility.
On the other hand, certain chemotherapy medicines are less likely
to cause infertility:
methotrexate (brand names: Mexate, Folex, Rheumatrex)
fluorouracil (also called 5-fluorouracil) (brand name: Adrucil)
vincristine (brand names: Oncovin, Vincasar PES, Vincrex)
“Studies have suggested that women with cancer are
less likely to be given information about preserving
their fertility than men”
What is infertility?
Infertility is not being able to start or maintain a pregnancy. For a woman,
it means that she either can’t become pregnant or that she can’t carry a
baby full-term.
Women are infertile if:
Their ovaries don’t make mature eggs.
Damage to the reproductive system keeps eggs from being fertilized.
A fertilized egg cannot implant and grow inside the uterus.
Last Medical Review: 11/06/2013
Last Revised: 11/06/2013
1.Cancer: the disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body
2. Chemotherapy: the treatment of disease by the use of chemical substances, especially the
treatment of cancer by cytotoxic and other drugs.
3. Chlamydia: a very small parasitic bacterium that, like a virus, requires the biochemical
mechanisms of another cell in order to reproduce
4. Cisplatin (Platinol): Prescription drug; Treats cancer of the testicles, bladder, ovaries, or lung
5. Fallopian Tube: either of a pair of tubes along which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus.
6. Fertilization: the action or process of fertilizing an egg, female animal, or plant, involving the
fusion of male and female gametes to form a zygote.
7. Low self-esteem: A person with low self-esteem feels unworthy, incapable, and incompetent.
In fact, because the person with low self-esteem feels so poorly about him or herself, these
feelings may actually cause the person's continued low self-esteem.
8. Radiation Therapy: the treatment of disease, especially cancer, using X-rays or similar forms of
radiation
9. Reproductive organs, female: The internal genital structures of the female include the ovaries,
Fallopian tubes, uterus (womb) and vagina. The ovaries or "egg sacs" are a pair of
female reproductive organs located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus
10. Uterus: the organ in the lower body of a woman or female mammal where offspring are
conceived and in which they gestate before birth; the womb
Can infertility to reversed?
What other causes of infertility is there that is
not mentioned?
What other options are there for those with
infertility?