20 years after transplant
[object Object] 34
20 years after transplant
Nia is 34
Today is Nia’s 34th birthday. She had her last follow up visit. Nia and her husband want to try to get pregnant using one of the eggs she had frozen before her bone marrow transplant.
Some people freeze eggs or sperm before bone marrow transplant.
As part of a bone marrow transplant, you will get chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can affect your ability to have biological children in the future.
Fertility preservation might be an option for you.
- You can save eggs or sperm for the future.
- This is your choice. Ask your doctor about your options.
- Your insurance may not pay for this. It can be very expensive.
Chemotherapy is very strong medicine.
Chemotherapy makes room in your body for the donated stem cells.
- Your blood-making stem cells with the wrong instructions take up space in your bone marrow.
- The donated stem cells need to be in that space.
- Chemotherapy kills the stem cells with the wrong instructions, so that the donated stem cells have a place to go in your body.
Chemotherapy kills cells.
- It can be used to kill cancer cells in people with cancer.
- It also kills blood-making stem cells.
- It kills any cells that your body makes over and over again. For example, it kills egg cells and sperm cells.
Fertility preservation options are different for everyone.
- The options are different for egg cells and sperm cells.
- People who have not gone through puberty have fewer options.
- Even if you do fertility preservation, you still might not be able to have biological children in the future.
- Your doctor can give you the latest information and explain your options.
- Learn more about fertility preservation.
If you are cured, you can still give the sickle cell gene to your children.
- Bone marrow transplant does not protect your children.
- Your sperm or eggs will still carry the sickle cell gene.