Despite cancer casting a shadow on their dreams of becoming parents, a couple found new hope and even managed to beat all odds to start a family of their own. In the end, they were blessed with a baby girl.
Cancer and parenthood: When a couple learns of their cancer diagnosis in their reproductive years, the first doubt that crosses the mind is whether they will ever be able to successfully start a family of their own, when the cancer treatment has ended. Science has made great strides in onco-fertility, allowing patients to undergo treatment for cancer while also preserving their fertility. With millions of couples facing fertility challenges in India, navigating the path of parenthood can be complex. A recent case, however, triggered hope when a couple attempted to conceive, and even managed to get pregnant, against the backdrop of a major health setback. Read on to know more about the case.
What Was The Complication?
According to a statement shared by the hospital where they were treated, the male partner had been previously diagnosed with ‘seminoma’, which is a form of testicular cancer that requires immediate medical intervention.
Having understood the consequences of its treatment, the couple had already preserved a semen sample at a fertility centre in Jaipur. The man had to undergo an orchidectomy, which is the surgical removal of the affected testicle, besides radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments.
The Couple’s Journey To Conception
Once they were ready to start a family, the couple reached Birla Fertility & IVF Gurgaon. In the initial assessment, it was found that the woman had normal ovarian reserve and hormonal parameters. The case was handled by fertility specialist Dr Prachi Benara, who was made aware of the man’s cancer treatment and the preserved semen sample, which was transferred from Jaipur for use.
The First Roadblock…
According to the hospital statement, as part of the IVF process, the woman was stimulated for the cycle, but when the frozen semen sample was thawed, no ‘viable’ sperm was found.
Specialists assigned to the case did a deeper evaluation of the man’s fertility status and their assessment revealed ‘elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels at 23 mIU/mL and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels at 15 mIU/mL’ — indicating impaired sperm production.
The Solution…
Dr Benara led a medical team and recommended ‘microdissection testicular sperm extraction’ (micro TESE). “It is a procedure designed to retrieve sperm directly from the testes. The procedure yielded a limited number of motile sperm with poor morphology, but the team proceeded with a highly specialised approach to maximise the chances of fertilisation,” she stated.
“The complexity of the case required a precise and tailored strategy. Given the challenges with sperm quality, we opted for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a technique that allows for fertilisation even when only a small number of viable sperm are available. By directly injecting a single sperm into each mature egg, we were able to enhance the likelihood of successful embryo formation and development,” the doctor explained.
She added that her team performed ICSI on eight mature oocytes that had been retrieved from the woman. Of them, one grade-2 eight-cell embryo was ‘successfully formed’.
After a carefully planned endometrial preparation, a day-3 embryo was transferred into the uterus. In 14 days, a positive pregnancy test confirmed the success of the procedure. Finally, the couple was blessed with a healthy baby girl.
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