Preserving Fertility When Faced With Cancer

Three words no one wants to hear from their physician, “You Have Cancer”.

This is a life changing diagnosis for anyone. Whether you are a man or a woman, a Cancer diagnosis makes you evaluate, reorganize, and prioritize every aspect of your life.

Cancer treatments are often put on the fast track to make an impact on disease progression as soon as possible. It can be a whirlwind of medical appointments, testing, multiple different doctors coordinating treatment plans, and procedures’ starting from the moment a person is diagnosed.

This time is overwhelming to say the least. One question needing to be asked of someone who is diagnosed with Cancer is, “Have you thought about your plans for having children?”

Cancer treatments (such as certain forms of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical intervention) can impact a person’s fertility. Treatments can effect sperm and egg quality and quantity and impact the ability of the reproductive organs themselves to function normally.

There are options for both men and woman facing a Cancer diagnosis to preserve fertility prior to undergoing interventional therapy.

Men may want to preserve their semen at a sperm bank prior to starting treatment as a means to preserve fertility.

Woman can be referred to a reproductive endocrinologist in order to coordinate care with their oncologist and team of physicians to stimulate their ovaries in an effort to recruit and retrieve their eggs prior to undergoing Cancer treatment. These eggs are then vitrified (a method of preservation) and stored for future use when able.

Here at Michigan Reproductive Medicine we treat our oncology patients with the utmost care, compassion, and sense of urgency. We know the coordination of care required and do our best to help women and their families during this stressful time. Our Physicians, Nursing Coordinators, Medical Assistants, Front Office Coordinators, and Laboratory Staff all work diligently together to make the fertility preservation process progress as smooth and efficiently as possible.

Our Nursing Coordinators connect our fertility preservation patients with programs to help with discounted and sometimes free medications needed for their cycle.   Some such resources are found through:

LIVESTRONG © : www.livestrong.org/what-we-do/program/livestrong-fertility

HeartBeat Program through Ferring Reproductive Health:

www.ferringfertility.com/savings/heartbeat

Please visit our oncofertility webpage and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about fertility preservation with a Cancer diagnosis, we are here to help in any way we can.