Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

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LivinginHope
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2020 4:42 am

Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

Postby LivinginHope » Tue Oct 12, 2021 1:35 am

Some of you may have seen my posts from my Husbands journey and how worried we were about fertility post surgery and chemo. I'm sharing this for other younger people who may have similar worries.

In Oct 2020 he had LAR surgery to remove a rectal tumour and it was found he had lymph node involvement and would need Chemo. He had 3 months of CAPOX, ending March 2021.

We were advised to wait 6 months before trying for a baby, which we were planning to, however a higher power intervened and 5.5months after his chemo ended we found out we are pregnant with out first baby!

We had banked sperm just in case, the oncologist even said she had never known anyone become infertile after CAPOX But she wouldn't put her life on it. It was such a relief to not need any intervention and for things to just happen.

We had our 12wk scan yesterday, baby is growing perfectly and all looks as it should. We feel truly blessed :D
Husband (37):
- 10/20 Rectal CA, LAR, 21 nodes removed
- 10/20 5/21 positive=Adj Chemo. Surgery=R0
- 11/20 Sperm banked
- 12/20 Onc appt: confirmed T3N2M0, regional not distant nodes. Pre-op CEA 2.7/post op 0.7. No mutations. Plan 6m CAPOX.
- 12/20 Round 1
- 1/21 Onc appt: new evidence, 3m is as good as 6m, REDUCED regime to 3m! Round 2. Pre-chemo CEA 0.6
- 1/21 Round 3. Pre-chemo CEA 1.1
- 2/21 Round 4.
- 3/21 Chemo ends
- 07/21 CLEAR CT SCAN & CEA 0.7
-10/21 CEA 1.1
- 04/22 CEA 1.3
- 10/22 CEA 1.4

User avatar
Atoq
Posts: 412
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 9:31 am

Re: Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

Postby Atoq » Tue Oct 12, 2021 1:19 pm

Congratulations!! Really nice news! :D

Best

Claudia
1972, 2 kids
Dx rectal cancer 10.2017
T3N2aMX (met left lung 8 mm)
Lynch neg
CEA 1.8
Neoadjuvant chemoradio Xeloda + 25x2 Gy
05.12.17 laparotomic surg. for blockage, colostomy
25.01.18 laparotomic lar, hysterectomy, ileostomy
05.03.18 core needle lung biopsy
07.05.18 CAT scan, lung met 11 mm
04.06.18 ileo reversal
26.06.18 wedge VATS
24.08.18, 31.02.19 CAT scan
12.09.18, 06.02.19 scope, CEA 1.6
19.11.18 scope
20.08.19 CAT, eco
13.09.19 scope, CEA 1.2
18.03.20 CAT, eco, scope, NED
29.11.20 CAT, NED
2023 NED

CancerBum21
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:27 am

Re: Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

Postby CancerBum21 » Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:36 pm

Congratulations!! I’m so happy for y’all!! Soon you will be in the dirty diapers club too.
34/M
DX:(Rectal Cancer) 2/15/21
Stage: T1N0M0
TAMIS Surgery 3/10/21
Pathology: T1NxM0 - LIV positive, 1/1 lymph positive Stage IIIA
FOLFOX 6 rounds
Radation & Xelota 5 weeks

LivinginHope
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2020 4:42 am

Re: Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

Postby LivinginHope » Sun Oct 24, 2021 4:02 am

Thank you so much! We're still can't believe how lucky we are.

Ready to embrace the dirty diapers for sure!
Husband (37):
- 10/20 Rectal CA, LAR, 21 nodes removed
- 10/20 5/21 positive=Adj Chemo. Surgery=R0
- 11/20 Sperm banked
- 12/20 Onc appt: confirmed T3N2M0, regional not distant nodes. Pre-op CEA 2.7/post op 0.7. No mutations. Plan 6m CAPOX.
- 12/20 Round 1
- 1/21 Onc appt: new evidence, 3m is as good as 6m, REDUCED regime to 3m! Round 2. Pre-chemo CEA 0.6
- 1/21 Round 3. Pre-chemo CEA 1.1
- 2/21 Round 4.
- 3/21 Chemo ends
- 07/21 CLEAR CT SCAN & CEA 0.7
-10/21 CEA 1.1
- 04/22 CEA 1.3
- 10/22 CEA 1.4

boxhill
Posts: 789
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:40 am

Re: Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

Postby boxhill » Thu Oct 28, 2021 12:53 pm

Congratulations!
F, 64 at DX CRC Stage IV
3/17/18 blockage, r hemi
11 of 25 LN,5 mesentery nodes
5mm liver met
pT3 pN2b pM1
BRAF wild, KRAS G12D
dMMR, MSI-H
5/18 FOLFOX
7/18 and 11/18 CT NED
12/18 MRI 5mm liver mass, 2 LNs in porta hepatis
12/31/18 Keytruda
6/19 Multiphasic CT LNs normal, Liver stable
6/28/19 Pause Key, predisone for joint pain
7/31/19 Restart Key
9/19 CT stable
Pain: all fails but Celebrex
12/23/19 CT stable
5/20 MRI stable/NED
6/20 Stop Key
All MRIs NED

sandkeeper
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:58 am
Location: St Albans, UK

Re: Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

Postby sandkeeper » Mon Nov 15, 2021 12:12 pm

I realise this is a month old but I don't come here often and wanted to offer my congratulations. It's nice to see that cancer isn't putting a stop to your family plans.

I didn't have chemo in the end but still went through the sperm banking before it was decided that I wouldn't, and ultimately had to ask "are we ready for this" when I was barely out of the cancer journey. I'm now 4 years down the line... and my daughter is very nearly 2 and the absolute best thing in my life.

Hope you have similar happiness coming your way and with no more of the nasty stuff. Best to you and your husband.
31 year old male, dx Oct 17
Staged IIA post sigmoid colectomy
T3b N0 M0
LVI-, PNI-, MSS
No chemo
Oct 18: clear CT
Oct 19: clear CT
Nov 19: became a father!
Oct 20: clear CT
Nov 20: clear colonoscopy
Nov 21: no more CTs but still being monitored and NED
Aug 22: clear MRI (tailbone pain triggers a scan)
Nov 22: 5 years cancer-free, discharged from follow-ups
CEA: always 1

LivinginHope
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2020 4:42 am

Re: Fertility after Stage 3 Surgery and Chemo

Postby LivinginHope » Thu Nov 18, 2021 2:49 am

sandkeeper wrote:
I realise this is a month old but I don't come here often and wanted to offer my congratulations. It's nice to see that cancer isn't putting a stop to your family plans.

I didn't have chemo in the end but still went through the sperm banking before it was decided that I wouldn't, and ultimately had to ask "are we ready for this" when I was barely out of the cancer journey. I'm now 4 years down the line... and my daughter is very nearly 2 and the absolute best thing in my life.

Hope you have similar happiness coming your way and with no more of the nasty stuff. Best to you and your husband.



Thank you so much for your reply!
It's such an overwhelming thing to do during the middle of treatment isn't it, particularly when kids and the future seems like you're jumping the gun a little bit! 4 years, that's incredible! So glad you managed to start a family and live your life cancer free!

Thank you so much, he has his first post-treatment Colonoscopy today which he's very calm about, I'm very anxious but hoping that this is the start of our cancer free future!
Husband (37):
- 10/20 Rectal CA, LAR, 21 nodes removed
- 10/20 5/21 positive=Adj Chemo. Surgery=R0
- 11/20 Sperm banked
- 12/20 Onc appt: confirmed T3N2M0, regional not distant nodes. Pre-op CEA 2.7/post op 0.7. No mutations. Plan 6m CAPOX.
- 12/20 Round 1
- 1/21 Onc appt: new evidence, 3m is as good as 6m, REDUCED regime to 3m! Round 2. Pre-chemo CEA 0.6
- 1/21 Round 3. Pre-chemo CEA 1.1
- 2/21 Round 4.
- 3/21 Chemo ends
- 07/21 CLEAR CT SCAN & CEA 0.7
-10/21 CEA 1.1
- 04/22 CEA 1.3
- 10/22 CEA 1.4


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