Fathering Children after Prostate Removal? Ask the Expert
Dear Dr. Motola,** I am looking for information on fertility after prostate removal. I cannot find any-no statistics, nothing. I am a 37-year-old female involved with a 62-year-old man. He is under the impression he can still have children after prostate removal, and would like to. Any information would be appreciated-statistics, details on sperm aspiration procedures, and whether or not it can be artificial insemination verses IVF.**
After a radical prostatectomy it is no longer possible to father a child through sexual intercourse as the removal of the seminal vesicles and the ampullary portion of the vas deferens occurs, making it impossible to pass ejaculatory fluids. If radical prostatectomy has not yet been performed, than sperm banking should be considered pre-operatively. This is a safe method to obtain and store sperm that would be used later on.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) involves a procedure in which a biopsy specimen of the testicle is obtained under local anesthesia (TESE-testicular sperm extraction). Microscopic epididymal sperm aspiration can also result in high quality sperm. From this specimen sperm are extracted and directly inserted microscopically into the ovum. These techniques are associated with an approximately 40-45% success rate. In order to facilitate this it would be best to contact a urologist in your community who subspecializes in male infertility.
_Important: _ We hope you find this general medical and health information useful, but this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. For all personal medical and health matters, including decisions about diagnoses, medications and other treatment options, you should always consult your doctor. See full Disclaimer.
Jay Motola, MD, is a board-certified urologist and attending physician, Department of Urology, Mount Sinai West, and Assistant Professor of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Motola is a summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Boston University, and earned his medical degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
