NEW DELHI: Four years after surviving a battle with testicular cancer, a 33-year-old man became a father with the help of an IVF technique. The man said he was diagnosed with cancer in his testicles in 2018. Though it was detected at an early stage, the news doomed him and his wife’s dream of becoming parents.
The patient went to AIIMS Jaipur for treatment, from where he was referred to a private hospital, but the treatment results were not satisfactory to him. He was worried about his dropping sperm count the window for fertility was narrowing with each passing day.
The patient froze his sperm in a sperm bank at a private IVF centre in Delhi to retain his chances of becoming a father post-recovery. “I chanced upon storing my sperm to become a parent after my treatment,” he said.
However, after his treatment, the couple attempted to conceive biologically, but the low sperm count reduced their chances of parenthood, said Dr Prachi Benara, Consultant, Birla Fertility & IVF.
The patient’s sperm was successfully retrieved through a unique technique called Micro TESA and the couple delivered a healthy baby girl, she added.
“Men undergoing cancer treatment may often face fertility issues. Patients may not be aware of their options for preserving fertility. This is where procedures like fertility preservation can prove to be significant for helping couples become parents,” she said.