Babies after Folfox

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jrasnic
jrasnic Member Posts: 14
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My husband completed the Folfox treatment 4 years ago at age 28 for stage III colon cancer. We are now thinking about starting a family. I would appreciate any news or information any of you may have about long term effects of Folfox on fertility.

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  • shmurciakova
    shmurciakova Member Posts: 906 Member
    #2
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    Hi there,
    What an exciting time. I am a Stage IV survivor and I am about 3 1/2 years out at this point and am also thinking of having a child sometime soon. The thing is I am a woman, and I never did FOLFOX....So, hopefully some men will chime in, but I would think the easiest thing you could do is have your husband to a sperm test to make sure there are enough and they aren't going in circles or anything like that! You can talk to the doctor about your concerns. I really have no idea whether there are any studies about the long term effects on fertility by FOLFOX. Perhaps there are, but Oxy has only been in use for the last 5 years, so unless they did some studies on it when it was in trials, I am not sure. Maybe your husbands oncologist can clear up some of your questions.
    Good luck though,
    Susan H.
  • chynabear
    chynabear Member Posts: 481 Member
    #3
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    I am a woman, 3 years out from finishing treatment for Stage III Colon Cancer at age 27.

    I seem to remember my oncologist vising me in the hospital and talking with me. I remember him saying that Folfox would decrease my fertility by roughly 40%.

    Even with a 40% decrease, that doesn't mean I won't ever get pregnant again. It just means that I might have to try harder.

    I think the best advice (for both of you) would be to visit with some doctors and discuss your plans and get checked out.

    Best of luck to you!
  • neon356
    neon356 Member Posts: 137 Member
    #4
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    Did your husband have radiation along with the chemo? If so, that would definitely be an issue, as radiation usually causes sterilization.
    Carl
  • jrasnic
    jrasnic Member Posts: 14
    #5
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    chynabear said:

    I am a woman, 3 years out from finishing treatment for Stage III Colon Cancer at age 27.

    I seem to remember my oncologist vising me in the hospital and talking with me. I remember him saying that Folfox would decrease my fertility by roughly 40%.

    Even with a 40% decrease, that doesn't mean I won't ever get pregnant again. It just means that I might have to try harder.

    I think the best advice (for both of you) would be to visit with some doctors and discuss your plans and get checked out.

    Best of luck to you!

    Thanks! I hope everything is going really well with your survival. I remember seeing your posts when you were first diagnosed. Take care of yourself!
  • jrasnic
    jrasnic Member Posts: 14
    #6
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    shmurciakova said:

    Hi there,
    What an exciting time. I am a Stage IV survivor and I am about 3 1/2 years out at this point and am also thinking of having a child sometime soon. The thing is I am a woman, and I never did FOLFOX....So, hopefully some men will chime in, but I would think the easiest thing you could do is have your husband to a sperm test to make sure there are enough and they aren't going in circles or anything like that! You can talk to the doctor about your concerns. I really have no idea whether there are any studies about the long term effects on fertility by FOLFOX. Perhaps there are, but Oxy has only been in use for the last 5 years, so unless they did some studies on it when it was in trials, I am not sure. Maybe your husbands oncologist can clear up some of your questions.
    Good luck though,
    Susan H.

    We did do a sperm test after he finished treatment. His count was lower but still considered fertile. We do need to talk to some doctors! Thanks for the feedback!

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