Fertility Articles and Links

General Fertility Information

• Fertility After Testicular Cancer Treatment - Patient information from the European Association of Urology specifically about fertility after testicular cancer. It discusses sperm banking, fertility testing, and what to expect after treatment.
• Cancer and Its Impact on Sperm, Cryopreservation, and Fertility - A very useful patient guide from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). It explains how cancer treatment can affect sperm, sperm banking, what happens if you cannot provide a normal semen sample, and options when sperm counts are very low.
• Male Fertility and Cancer Treatment - National Cancer Institute information about the ways cancer and cancer treatment can affect male fertility and the available fertility-preservation options. This is not specific to testicular cancer, but it is a thorough general resource.
• Retrograde Ejaculation - A clear Mayo Clinic explanation of retrograde ejaculation, including why it can happen after an RPLND for testicular cancer, what symptoms to expect, and why it can affect fertility. Their related diagnosis and treatment page discusses treatment and fertility options.
• Fertility Preservation Options for Men - Livestrong information for men facing cancer treatment. It covers sperm banking and other fertility-preservation options. It is broader than testicular cancer, but much of the information is directly relevant.

Sperm Banking Information and Finding Fertility Care

• ASRM: Cancer and Its Impact on Sperm, Cryopreservation, and Fertility - Also listed above because it is one of the better explanations of what sperm banking actually involves and what alternatives may exist if a normal sample cannot be produced.
• Baylor Medicine: Sperm Banking - Practical information from Baylor's male reproductive medicine program about who may want to bank sperm, how the process works, and how frozen sperm may be used later. The page specifically mentions men facing cancer treatment or testicular surgery.
• How to Choose a Fertility Clinic - Baylor Medicine's list of questions to ask when evaluating a fertility program, including experience, male-factor infertility, services offered, success rates, and costs. The page describes Baylor's own program along the way, but the questions themselves are useful anywhere.
• Reprotech fertility-preservation resources - Reprotech is a national reproductive-tissue storage company with a large network of partner fertility centers. Several parts of its site may be particularly useful to cancer patients:
  • Fertility Preservation Network - Search more than 300 partner clinics around the country. The network can help locate centers offering semen freezing and other fertility-preservation services.
  • OverNite Male™ Kit - An at-home sperm-banking option that may be especially useful when cancer treatment needs to start quickly or there is no convenient local sperm bank. The kit is shipped overnight and the sample is collected at home and returned for processing and freezing.
  • Financial Assistance - Reprotech's hub for fertility-preservation financial assistance, including cancer-related programs and storage assistance.
• Fertility Scout - A searchable service from the Alliance for Fertility Preservation that can help cancer patients find fertility clinics, sperm banks, reproductive specialists, and other fertility-preservation services.
• Oncofertility Consortium Clinic Finder - Search for fertility-preservation programs and clinics by location and services offered.
• Livestrong: Fertility Preservation Options for Men - A broader discussion of sperm banking and other fertility-preservation options, including what may be possible if sperm was not banked before treatment.

Insurance, Costs and Financial Assistance

• Fertility Preservation Insurance Coverage Map - The Alliance for Fertility Preservation tracks state laws requiring insurance coverage for fertility preservation. The map can be filtered specifically for sperm banking, storage, type of insurance plan, and other details.
• Fertility and Insurance - Livestrong explains some of the insurance problems cancer patients encounter when seeking fertility preservation and offers suggestions for appealing a denial.
• Reprotech Financial Assistance - A useful hub for financial programs related to fertility preservation and long-term storage. It includes information about outside assistance programs as well as Reprotech's own storage discount programs.
• Livestrong Fertility - A financial-assistance/discount program for eligible cancer patients. Men can apply for help with sperm cryopreservation if they meet the program's eligibility requirements. This is primarily a financial-assistance program rather than a general fertility-information site.