MRC Centre for Reproductive Health is delighted to share our latest animation with you. ‘Will I be able to have children after cancer treatment?’ clearly and simply describes the importance and purpose of fertility preservation in young males who are about to have treatment for cancer. It answers common questions relating to fertility preservation so youngsters with cancer can understand how the process will hopefully offer them the chance to be biological parents in the future. A key element is cryopreserving - or ‘freezing’ - tissue to ensure the sperm making cells will not be damaged by the cancer treatment. This, and various other vital steps, are described in simplified terms in the animation. Professor Rod Mitchell, who is the adult voice narrating this animation, is a Clinical Scientist and Paediatric Endocrinologist. He leads the Edinburgh Fertility Preservation programme at MRC Centre for Reproductive Health – the first centre in the UK to be undertaking active research using testis (and ovarian) tissue. Professor Mitchell and his colleagues at CRH focus on research involving the germ cells in testis tissues and their development into sperm. These scientists hope to use these cells to make sperm outside a body and in a laboratory, in case you need it when you are older to help create a baby. We hope this animation provides an increased awareness and understanding of fertility preservation and offers information, support and guidance to young cancer patients and their families. This creative new engagement tool will also help to educate and inform essential support networks. This may include teachers, friends and families, and charity groups. We invite you to use and share this animation as you wish and hope it is valuable. There are websites offering further information and support, including: Edinburgh Fertility Preservation website Professor Rod Mitchell’s web page Children with Cancer UK website These sources allow people to access reliable information from their own home, the hospital, or the classroom. Please share this animation as you wish. You may wish to use the hashtags #fertilitypreservation #malefertility #fertilityaftercancer #fertilityandcancer and #futurefertility. Many thanks to Daniel Boardman (age 10) for doing a wonderful job narrating from the child’s perspective. The CRH’s Professor Rod Mitchell and Ginnie Clark worked with Cloud Chamber Studios to create this engagement tool. We send our thanks and appreciation to Shingi Parirenyatwa at Children with Cancer UK for putting us in touch with young patients and their families who have been affected by cancer. They offered invaluable insight and feedback. Enjoy the animation… A voiceover-only version of the video on YouTube. (This may be preferred by audiences with hearing difficulties or conditions affecting sensory processing) Publication date 01 Dec, 2021
