Modern medicine makes it possible for men to cryopreserve their
sperm. The sperm is frozen at extremely low temperatures and saved for future
use in one of several infertility options. Semen quality is often impaired by
the time of a cancer diagnosis, but with several frozen samples and good sperm
quality a pregnancy may be achieved through medical techniques. At the end of
the day, only one good sperm is required to fertilize an egg.
Men diagnosed with testicular cancer who want to be fathers should talk to
their physicians about sperm banking before beginning any course of treatment.
Sperm quality, cost, and how much time is available before treatments must
begin, and what kind of treatments will be given are all factors to be taken
into consideration.
Symptoms
Many times testicular cancers are discovered by the man who claims the
testes as his own. It is recommended that men examine themselves regularly from
at least the age of 18 (some say as young as 15). It is important to become
familiar with how they “normally” feel in order to notice anything different.
They should be soft but somewhat firm, oval-shaped and smooth. Any changes
should prompt an immediate call to the doctor.
Men should be on the lookout for:
A lump in either testicle
A sudden collection of fluid
in the scrotum
A dull ache in the groin or
lower abdomen
Discomfort and/or pain in the
scrotum or testes
Tenderness and/or enlargement
of the breasts
It is true that these symptoms can be related to other conditions and may
not be signs of a cancerous condition. Hopefully this is the case. Most
professionals recommend that you see your doctor immediately and let him make
the call. Others say that you should see your doctor if the symptoms persist
longer than two weeks.
You, of course, will do whatever you like. But while you are making the
decision, remember two things: self-diagnosis is a bad thing, and it’s better
to be a hypochondriac than a corpse.