Cancer is currently one of the most common civilization diseases. Every year more and more young people suffer from it. According to the National Cancer Registry, almost 8,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in Poland in 2020 alone. people under 40 years of age. As you can easily guess, in this group there are many people who were just planning their offspring. Diagnosis is therefore extremely difficult for them. It is not only the implementation of appropriate treatment and the accompanying side effects and lifestyle changes, but also uncertainty related to future fertility. It’s hard to be surprised.
Patients are not always well informed
Patients diagnosed with cancer are usually informed about the possible side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, such as fertility problems, at the beginning of treatment. Unfortunately, doctors do not always provide them with possible solutions. And there are a lot of these.
The fact that some cancer treatments may impair fertility is stated in the documents that patients sign before treatment. However, it does not say that there are fertility preservation methods that do not interfere with oncological treatment, explains Marta Bednarek from the Rak’n’Roll Foundation. Win a Life!.
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The number of cancer patients will increase
The cancer statistics presented above look poor, but the estimates are even worse, especially for women. For example, trends in the incidence of malignant breast cancer indicate that the number of patients will increase year by year, also among women of childbearing age and girls before puberty. However, there is one good news in all this. Despite the increase in morbidity, the number of deaths will decrease. Therefore, since cancer is slowly becoming a curable disease, the future of patients who want to become parents should be taken care of. This is what oncofertility is about, i.e. the process of protecting gametes before starting oncological treatment
How to get pregnant after oncological treatment?
In Poland, so far, few people know this term, but soon, thanks to the Rak’n’Roll Foundation, securing one’s fertility will become one of the elements of healing from cancer. The Foundation has just launched the campaign “Sex on drugs? Fortunately, you can get pregnant”, which informs about the possibility of maintaining fertility despite undergoing oncological treatment. Edyta and Cezary Pazurowie became the face of the campaign. Other influencers, including Małgorzata Rozenek, Anna Dereszowska and Agnieszka Więd³ocha, were also involved in the project. Education and information activities in the public space were planned as part of the campaign. The inhabitants of Warsaw could see, for example, a special van that drew attention to a new issue.
The aim of the campaign “Sex after drugs? Fortunately, you can get pregnant” is to publicize this problem and educate Poles in the field of onco-fertility. Knowing this is like knowing how to give first aid. None of us wants to use it, but it is worth knowing it to be able to save someone’s life or dreams at the right moment – adds Marta Bednarek.
So what should oncology patients know? Specialists emphasize that all possibilities of preserving fertility should be presented to the patient by a doctor before starting treatment. In the case of women and girls, egg freezing, ovarian tissue freezing or (for adult women) embryo freezing are most commonly used. In men and boys, semen freezing (adults) or testicular tissue freezing (adults and children) is used. It should be remembered that in each case the final method depends on the type of oncological therapy that the patient is to undergo.
Promotional material of the Rak’n’Roll Foundation.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
