Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Protecting fertility before cancer treatment starts | CION Cancer Clinics
Fertility-preserving surgery protects your chance of having a child after cancer treatment. It has to happen before chemotherapy, pelvic radiation or cancer surgery begins, because those treatments can damage eggs, sperm or the womb. The options range from sperm banking and egg freezing to keyhole operations on the ovaries. This page explains each one, how it fits around your cancer plan, and who it does not suit. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What is fertility-preserving surgery, and why does it happen before treatment?
- Which procedures can protect fertility?
- How does fertility preservation fit around your cancer plan?
- What do the fertility terms actually mean?
- What do families often believe about fertility and cancer?
- Who is fertility-preserving surgery not suitable for?
- How are the options different for men and women?
- Common questions about fertility-preserving surgery
The short answer
What is fertility-preserving surgery, and why does it happen before treatment?
Fertility-preserving surgery is a small procedure or operation done to protect your chance of having a child later. It happens before chemotherapy, radiation or cancer surgery, because those treatments can damage eggs, sperm or the womb.
Why the timing matters so much
Many cancer treatments work by killing cells that divide quickly. Eggs and sperm are among those cells. Once the first dose has been given, the chance of collecting healthy eggs or sperm can drop. That is why the question has to be asked at the first or second appointment, not after treatment has begun.
It is not one single operation
The phrase covers several very different things. Some are minor, such as collecting eggs through a thin needle. Some are keyhole operations, such as removing a piece of ovary to freeze. Some are part of the cancer operation itself, where the surgeon removes the tumour but leaves the womb or one ovary in place. Which of these is possible depends on your age, your cancer and how soon treatment must start.
This page explains the options. It cannot tell you whether any of them is right for you. That decision is made with your cancer team and a fertility specialist together.The main options
Which procedures can protect fertility?
Each one suits a different person and a different cancer. Your team may talk about only one or two of them.
Sperm banking and sperm retrieval
Most men and teenage boys can give a sample that is frozen and stored. If no sperm is found, or a sample cannot be given, a urologist can take sperm directly from the testis with a needle or a small cut.
Egg or embryo freezing
Hormone injections help the ovaries ripen several eggs. The eggs are collected through a fine needle under sedation. They are frozen as they are, or fertilised first and frozen as embryos.
Needs time before treatment starts.Ovarian tissue freezing
A keyhole operation removes a thin strip of ovary, which is frozen. It can be done quickly and does not need hormone injections, so it is sometimes used for girls before puberty or when treatment is urgent.
Moving the ovaries or womb
Before radiation to the pelvis, the ovaries can be lifted out of the radiation field and stitched higher up. Moving the womb is a newer and far less common operation.
Fertility-sparing cancer surgery
For some early cancers of the cervix, ovary or womb lining, the surgeon may remove the tumour and keep the organs needed for pregnancy.
Only considered when
- The cancer is found early
- Tests show it has not spread
- You accept closer follow-up
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe pathway
How does fertility preservation fit around your cancer plan?
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The question is raised
Ideally your oncologist asks about children at the first visit. If nobody does, you or your family should raise it. It is a normal question, and asking it does not hold up the plan.
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Referral to a fertility specialist
Your cancer team refers you to a registered fertility centre. That centre should be told the diagnosis and the planned start date, so you can be seen quickly.
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Tests and a plan
Blood tests and often an ultrasound show how well the ovaries or testes are working. The fertility team then says what is possible in the time available.
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The procedure
Most procedures are day-care. Sperm collection may take a day or two. Egg freezing takes longer because of the injections.
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Cancer treatment starts
The two teams agree the start date between them. Storage consent forms are signed, and you are given copies to keep safely at home.
Words you will hear
What do the fertility terms actually mean?
- Oncofertility
- The joining of cancer care and fertility care, so that both are planned together.
- Cryopreservation
- Freezing eggs, sperm, embryos or tissue at very low temperatures so they can be stored and used years later.
- Gonads
- The ovaries in women and the testes in men. These are the organs that chemotherapy and pelvic radiation can harm.
- Transposition
- Moving an organ, usually the ovaries, out of the path of radiation.
- Trachelectomy
- Removing the cervix but keeping the womb, for some early cervical cancers.
- ART bank
- A licensed facility in India that stores eggs, sperm or embryos under the national rules for assisted reproduction.
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Commonly believed
What do families often believe about fertility and cancer?
"We should focus on the cancer first and think about children later."
For most options, later is too late. Once chemotherapy or radiation has begun, the chance to store healthy eggs or sperm often shrinks. Asking now does not mean the cancer is taken less seriously.
"He is still a schoolboy. This conversation is not for him."
Teenage boys who have reached puberty can usually bank sperm. The conversation can be handled gently and privately. Many young people are grateful as adults that someone asked.
"Fertility treatment will make the cancer grow."
For most cancers there is no sign of this. For cancers that respond to hormones, such as some breast cancers, fertility teams use adjusted medicines to keep hormone levels lower. Ask about this directly.
"If we freeze eggs, a baby is certain later."
Freezing keeps a chance open. It is not a promise. Not every egg survives thawing, and not every embryo leads to a pregnancy.
Being straight with you
Who is fertility-preserving surgery not suitable for?
It is not suitable when the delay would put your life at risk. Some leukaemias and fast-growing cancers need treatment within days. In those cases the team may still offer a quick option, or may say plainly that there is no safe time.
What the team weighs
They look at how aggressive the cancer is, how soon treatment must start, and how likely the planned treatment is to affect fertility. They also look at your age, your general fitness and your blood counts, since an operation or egg collection carries its own small risks. Where the cancer itself sits in the ovary or testis, freezing tissue may not be safe.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how likely a future pregnancy is. That depends on your age, how many eggs or how much sperm is stored, and your health after treatment. It also cannot tell you what a centre charges. Ask for a written estimate that includes yearly storage fees, and ask whether Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or your insurer will cover any part of it.
Some treatments affect fertility very little. Ask your oncologist how likely your own plan is to affect it before you decide anything.Side by side
How are the options different for men and women?
Men and boys after puberty
Women and girls
Sperm banking usually takes only a few days
Egg or embryo freezing usually needs a couple of weeks
No hormone injections are needed
Daily hormone injections are usually needed
Surgery only if no sample can be given or no sperm is found
Keyhole surgery if tissue is frozen or ovaries are moved
Boys before puberty have very few proven options
Girls before puberty may be offered ovarian tissue freezing
Questions we are asked
Common questions about fertility-preserving surgery
Will fertility preservation delay my cancer treatment?
Sometimes by a short time, sometimes not at all. Sperm banking rarely causes any delay. Egg freezing usually needs a couple of weeks. Your cancer team decides whether that wait is safe. If it is not, they will say so, and may suggest a faster option such as freezing ovarian tissue.
Does CION do these procedures itself?
Your cancer team plans the treatment and refers you to a registered fertility centre for most of these procedures. Ask your oncologist which centre they work with, how quickly you can be seen, and whether any surgery, such as moving the ovaries, would be done by your own surgical team.
Is it safe to have an anaesthetic just before chemotherapy?
For most people, yes, but it is checked first. Blood counts, heart and lung health and any recent infection are looked at. If you are very unwell from the cancer, the team may advise against any extra procedure. Ask what they found and why.
Can I still try for a baby naturally after treatment?
Many people can. Stored eggs or sperm are a back-up, not the only route. Your doctors will usually advise waiting a while after treatment before trying. How long depends on the cancer and the treatment, so ask your own team rather than following a general rule.
Who decides whether my daughter's tissue is frozen?
For a child, the parents give consent, and the child is included in the discussion as much as their age allows. The fertility and cancer teams explain what is known and what is still uncertain. You can take time to talk it over as a family before signing.
How long can eggs, sperm or embryos stay frozen?
Frozen samples can stay usable for many years. The storage period allowed is set by Indian rules and by the consent you sign. Renewal is usually needed, often with a fee. Ask the centre to explain the renewal process in writing, and keep their contact details safe.
Is fertility preservation covered by insurance or Aarogyasri?
Cover varies and is often limited. Some insurers treat it as separate from cancer treatment. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS rules differ by scheme. Call your insurer or scheme office with the exact procedure name, and ask the fertility centre for an itemised written estimate.
What if nobody asked about fertility and treatment has already begun?
Tell your oncologist now. Depending on where you are in treatment, some options may still be open, and some medicines may help protect the ovaries during chemotherapy. If the window has closed, a fertility specialist can still advise on other routes to parenthood after treatment.
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Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Fertility issues in girls and women with cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Fertility issues in boys and men with cancer
- NICE — Fertility problems: assessment and treatment (CG156)
- Cancer.Net — Dating, sex and reproduction
- American Cancer Society — Fertility and sexual side effects
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Why the window closes before treatment startsHow much time each option needsEgg freezing before cancer treatmentThe injections, the collection and the waitSperm banking: the process and what it costsThe quickest option for men and teenage boysOvarian transposition before pelvic radiationMoving the ovaries out of the radiation fieldOncofertility SurgeryEvery page in this guide
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