Achieving pregnancy against the odds: successful implantation of frozen-thawed embryos generated by ICSI using spermatozoa banked prior to chemo/radiotherapy for Hodgkin's disease and acute leukaemia

Two cases are reported of successful pregnancies following long-term semen banking prior to chemotherapy and radiotherapy for malignancy. With the fir st case, the patient banked semen at the age of 20 years prior to chemother apy for Hodgkin's disease; 11 years later the thawed semen was used for IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), resulting in twins being bor n following the transfer of frozen-thawed embryos. In the second case, the patient banked semen at the age of 17 years prior to chemotherapy and radio therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia; 8 years later it was used for ICSI, re sulting in triplets being born following the transfer of frozen-thawed embr yos. These cases support long-term semen banking for men whose future ferti lity may be compromised by suppression of spermatogenesis secondary to admi nistration of chemo/radiotherapy treatment. The advent of successful ICSI c ombined with embryo cryopreservation has increased the chance of thawed cry opreserved semen achieving fertilization. Banking of a single ejaculate pri or to commencement of chemotherapy/ radiotherapy treatment may preserve pot ential fertility without compromising the oncology treatment.