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Male options before cancer treatment

This section outlines ways you can preserve your fertility before starting cancer treatment. It’s ideal to discuss the options with your cancer or fertility specialist as soon as possible.

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Discussing your options
Ways to preserve fertility in males

Discussing your options

Sperm banking (freezing or cryopreservation) and radiation shielding are well-established ways to preserve fertility. Surgically extracting sperm from the testicles is another way to store sperm for later use. The best option for you depends on the type of cancer you have and your personal preferences.

Keep in mind that no method works all the time. Fertility treatments carry risks and your doctor should discuss these with you before you go home. For more on this, see Making decisions about fertility.

If you didn’t have an opportunity to discuss your options before starting cancer treatment, you can still consider your fertility later. Your choices after treatment will depend on whether you are able to produce sperm. For more on this, see Male options after cancer treatment, Other ways to be a parent and Not having a child.

Ways to preserve fertility in males

Sperm banking or sperm freezing (cryopreservation)

What this is	collecting, freezing and storing sperm this is the standard way of preserving fertility in males
When this is used	when you want to store sperm for the future samples can be stored for up to 20 years, depending on the laws of each state and territory
How this works	the procedure is performed in hospital or in a sperm bank facility (also called an andrology unit) samples are collected in a private room where you can masturbate or have a partner stimulate you, and then ejaculate into a jar it’s recommended that you provide 2–3 samples; you may need to visit the clinic more than once to make sure enough semen is collected sperm is then frozen until needed when you are ready to have a child, the frozen sperm is thawed and used to fertilise an egg using IVF
What to consider	if you collect semen at home, you must keep the sample close to body temperature and get it to the sperm bank facility within an hour if you want to collect semen during sex, you must use a special condom from the sperm bank facility if you are unable to ejaculate, there are medical ways to encourage ejaculation if you are unable to produce a sample of semen, sperm may be collected using testicular sperm extraction you may feel nervous and embarrassed going to a sperm bank, or worry whether you will be able to ejaculate; the medical staff are used to these situations; you can also bring someone with you

Radiation shielding

What this is	protecting the testicles from external beam radiation therapy with a shield
When this is used	if the testicles are close to where radiation beams are directed (but are not the target of the radiation), they can be protected from the radiation beams
How this works	protective lead coverings called shields are used
What to consider	this technique does not guarantee that radiation will not affect the testicles, but it does provide some level of protection

Testicular sperm extraction (TESE)

What this is	a way of looking for sperm inside the testicular tissue also called surgical sperm retrieval
When this is used	when you can’t ejaculate when there is not enough sperm in the semen sample to collect sperm from men with retrograde ejaculation
How this works	under anaesthetic, a fine needle is inserted into the epididymis or testicle to find and extract sperm; this is called testicular aspiration if no sperm is found, your specialist may do an open biopsy to retrieve a tissue sample collected sperm is frozen and can later be used to fertilise eggs during IVF
What to consider	in rare cases, no sperm is found in the testicular tissue

All my life I had wanted to be a father. I didn’t want cancer to ruin my chances, so I stored my sperm before treatment started. I think of this as a bit of an insurance policy.
Zac

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Fertility and Cancer

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This information was last updated in October 2025. See who reviewed this content.

Dr Sally Reid, Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist, Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Adelaide) and Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Dr Sarah Ellis, Clinical Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital and UNSW, NSW; John Booth, Consumer; Hope Finlen, Haematology Nurse Consultant, Gold Coast University Hospital, QLD; Dr Michelle Harrison, Medical Oncologist – Gynaecological cancers, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Melissa Jones, Nurse Consultant, Youth Cancer Service SA/NT, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Dr Violet Kieu, Clinical Director, Melbourne IVF and Fertility Specialist, The Royal Women’s Hospital, VIC; Prof Declan Murphy, Consultant Urologist, Director – Genitourinary Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The University of Melbourne, VIC; Stephen Page, Family and Fertility Lawyer, and Legal Practice Director, Page Provan, QLD; Ann Retzlaff, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; A/Prof Kate Stern AO, Fertility specialist, Gynaecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist, Royal Women’s Hospital and Melbourne IVF, VIC; Georgia Webster, Consumer.

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