At some point in time after your lymphoma treatment ends, you may begin to consider starting a family or expanding your existing family. A new outlook on life may have changed your perspective, making you explore new options that you did not think of before treatment. However, fertility issues may have arisen if you have gone through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or surgery. How you have been affected will depend on your age, prior fertility status, the areas that you were treated, the type or dose of treatment and the time since your treatment ended. Of course, women will have very different issues than men.
To determine where you stand, you should discuss your fertility status and the various options you have for starting a family with your doctor. You may request to be referred to a fertility specialist, perhaps even one who specializes in treating cancer patients. Here are some questions you can ask them:
- How do I know if treatment has affected my fertility?
- What can I do to increase my chance of conceiving with my partner now that treatment is over?
- Have others successfully conceived after having gone through similar treatments as I did?
- If my fertility issues are temporary, when should I undergo a follow-up evaluation on my fertility status?
