Effects Of Chemotherapy On Kidney, Bladder And The Sexual Organs
As we all know, chemotherapy has a number of side effects on our body. It affects various
organs of our body including the bladder, kidney and the sexual organs. The following is
a discussion about the effects of chemotherapy on those organs:
(a) Kidney and bladder:
Some anticancer drugs which are administered during chemotherapy may cause damages to the
kidney or bladder. Generally these damages are temporary but sometimes they become permanent. Before starting chemotherapy, the doctor generally obtains blood samples from
the patient to test the kidney functions. The patient must consult his doctor if he has the following symptoms during chemotherapy:
* Frequent urination. Pain and burning sensation during urination.
* Not being able to urinate properly.
* If the urine changes color, has blood in it, or has a strong medicine like smell.
* Fever or chills.
In addition to taking medicines,the patient should drink a lot of fluids like water,fruit juice, soft drinks, soup etc. to ensure a free flow of urine.
(b) Sexual Organs:
Drugs administered during chemotherapy may affect the sexual organs like testis (in males)
and vagina and ovaries (in females). The side effects are largely dependent on the patient’s
age and his/her general health.
In the case of male patients, the anticancer drugs may reduce the activity of the sperm cells as well as the sperm count which may result in infertility. It may also cause erection
problems.
In the case of female patients, these drugs may affect the ovaries which may reduce the hormone secretion. This may lead to infertility, which may be temporary or permanent. The
female patients may also experience changes in their menstrual cycles. The periods may
stop completely or may become irregular. The anticancer drugs may cause symptoms similar
to menopause and may lead to infections in the bladder or vagina. It may lead to dryness
of the vaginal tissues which makes intercourse difficult.
The side effects caused by the anticancer drugs to the sexual organs may be temporary or
permanent which is dependent on the age and natural health of the patient.