Research shows that women who are told they have infertility have the same emotional and physiological response as someone who is diagnosed with cancer. For those men and women who have been diagnosed with cancer, infertility can feel like a double whammy.
In addition to wondering what cancer treatments are available we wonder what our chances at successfully removing the cancer are and how soon we might be in remission and back to normal life. Yet, the question of whether we will ever have children is a very real and pressing question, one we cannot ignore.
Chances of Getting Pregnant with Cancer
Chemotherapy, radiation and cancer drugs may save your life, but unfortunately will also make you infertile. We encourage people with cancer to advocate for themselves with their oncology team and to see a fertility specialist even if you’re not sure whether you want to have children. You can always preserve your fertility and make a decision later, when you’re in the right frame of mind.
Men and women with cancer can expect expedited treatment at Morgan Fertility. We will see you immediately and begin fertility preservation without delay.
For men, we will freeze sperm for later use, working with a urologist or oncologist if necessary.
For women, we will begin an egg freezing cycle immediately. We will retrieve your eggs, then cryo-preserve them by vitrification in our embryology lab, or we can go one step further by fertilizing the eggs and allowing them to grow into embryos, which can then be frozen and stored.
Embryo freezing allows both partners to contribute to the fertility preservation and allows for testing of the embryos for gender or to ensure no inherited diseases are passed on to children.
When you’ve been cleared to attempt pregnancy, you may choose to use, donate or discard your frozen sperm or eggs. Our staff will help you through the process from start to finish.
When a woman is ready to attempt pregnancy, her eggs will be thawed and inseminated in the lab, before being transferred back into her uterus where it can implant and grow into a baby girl or boy.
Fertility preservation is really just a back-up plan for the future, to ensure you have the opportunity to become a parent if you so choose.
