Hi,
my boyfriend is currently having treatment for a form of leukemia, he has done a years worth of chemo as an in-patient in hospital. although now he is an out-patient he has 2 and a half years left of chemotherapy we have been talking about our future together and realised that life is too short to wait for things and are desperate for a baby. we have been told that he may be able to have children in the future, but it is not guarenteed, therefore we can have ivf. ive researched the internet and just came across that you have to be 23. whatever the outcome of the treatment is my boyfriend wants to be able to see his children grow up. would we be considered in having ivf at this age? xx

Welcome to BnB... sorry to hear about the difficult time you're going through. You might have more luck getting a useful answer if you this in the Assisted Conception area of the forum, as lots of the ladies there have experience from all sorts of different fertility issues.

From what I understand (which might be wrong) if the fertility issue is your other half, rather than you, I would guess you'd be looking for a sperm donor rather than IVF?

I'd suggest the best thing for you to do would be to talk to your GP, as they would be the one to refer you on for treatment, and they will know what the rules are in your area you live (it varies from place to place, assuming you are in the UK- I think in the US it would depend on your insurance?) I've heard some people talk about having to TTC naturally for a year before they are considered for investigations?

Good luck with your TTC journey.

I have no medical education, so the following is just my thoughts: An age cut-off is likely a guideline for doctors and not a hard and fast rule (again, just my thoughts here). I imagine doctors have to consider a lot of different aspects of a couple's health to determine if IVF is safe and would be effective and maturation of the reproductive system probably comes into play here. However, I hope doctors would look at their patients' individually and base fertility treatment decisions on people's unique needs. Of course, the only way you'll know for sure is to ask your doctor what s/he thinks.

Also, there is IUI where a man's sperm is processed to make the most of the healthy ones and is then injected into the uterus. This is less invasive (and I assume less expensive) than full-out IFV. Since your eggs aren't likely a problem, maybe this would be the best option? And since it's less involved, maybe age wouldn't be as big an issue?

I wish I had the knowledge to say something more definitive. I hope this is at least a little bit helpful.

I am so sorry for your boyfriend's illness, I hope he is fighting it well. I know the age is pretty strict because I have a friend who was 21, went to all the consultations was at the very last barrier when they suddenly mentioned the somewhat random age of 23 and stopped everythign, however, your situtation is a lot more unique. Are you saying that your boyfriend's sperm could be affected by the treatment?? If so then is he not able to try and get you pregnant now if this is what you both want? (Sorry if I am clueless!!) or is there a way you can preserve his sperm until you are both older and when he has fought the disease?- surely they would do this as they do with women and their eggs if they have to undergo treatment that could affect their fertilty. I would be very cautious about having a baby now if your boyfriend is under going very serious treatment, the stress may not be good for him and it may be better for him to fight the disease first, if as I say you are able to save the sperm. If it is a matter of using a sperm doner then surely waiting until he has fought the disease would be a better time? I know such a horrific situation is going to cause you to think life is too short, but don't forget your child's life will be long and you want them to be born in a safe, secure and stable environment in happiness and not rush into it because of this very scary time. Just food for thought, I wish you all the best

Coming from a family that has an ivf consultant as a step father your best bet is to go to your GP 1) to get the best advise as to what age you can be considered for treatment and 2) for your OH to be referred on to your nearest fertility unit to have his sperm tested for mobility and if viable get it frozen.
Good luck x

I would imagine your partner should have done some sperm banking before starting his treatment for ALL I assume. What were the results of the sperm banking and was his sperm viable. After 3 years of chemo for ALL it is unfortunately unlikely that his sperm will be fertile but there are always chances. You would need to wait until he had finished his maintenance chemo before you tried.

I agree that your GP will be a good place to start.

yes he did have a sperm banking done before his treatment, wouldnt be aloud to try for one naturally whilst he's having chemo as it could effect the baby. thankyou for your advice and comments (: xx

Sorry to hear about your boyfriends illness. I would look into using the sperm with artificial insemination, not IVF. AI can be done in your own home with just the two of you and is much more cheaper and less invasive then IVF which can cost around $15,000.

I thought he would have done sperm banking. The first thing to do would be to ask the clinic that have his sperm frozen what the sample was like, they can check for motility etc and they should have done that. I know over here, patients donate sperm, the sperm is checked for viability and if the sperm is good it is then frozen and stored. However if its no good the clients are told this and its usually discarded. You will need to be referred to a fertility specialist who works in artificial insemmination and you can take it from there.

Sorry to hear about his illness

are you in the uk? im pretty sure here (uk) they wont consider you for IVF until youre 23...its not just a guideline. i was going to say he can have his sperm frozen, but it seems thats already been done. in which case, you could start IVF once youre 23 with the sperm you froze already...still, remember that IVF is very expensive. the nhs would most definitely not fund it if you are under the age of 23.

in any case, the best thing you can do is go to your gp, because they will be able to give you a definitive answer.

good luck with everything x