Empowering Choices: Understanding Fertility Options Pre-Cancer Treatment

Individuals facing cancer treatment frequently struggle to meet the pressures of their immediate medical needs while preserving their fertility for the long term. Many cancer treatments can affect the reproductive system and disrupt your ability to conceive, even after treatments are complete. However, clinicians have developed reliable fertility preservation methods to make things easier for individuals diagnosed with cancer, the two primary options being egg freezing for women and sperm banking for men.

Undergoing cancer treatment is stressful enough. What makes both of these methods great is how they passively preserve your fertility without forcing you to alter or change your current treatment. While neither of these procedures is perfect, they do let you focus on what matters most—winning the fight against cancer—while forgoing conversations about conception, pregnancy, and fertility until you are ready to build your family.

Egg Freezing for Women

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, which are then retrieved, frozen, and stored for later use. This method allows women to preserve their fertility potential by safeguarding healthy, young eggs.

Success rates of this procedure vary, influenced by factors such as a woman's age at the time of egg freezing and the quantity and quality of eggs retrieved. Remember that no matter the situation, the egg can still be lost during thawing, though younger women tend to have higher success rates. That being said, egg freezing is among the most vital choices for women hoping to preserve fertility during a cancer diagnosis.

If you are considering oocyte cryopreservation, discuss its limitations and potential outcomes with your doctor. That way, you can better understand whether or not this procedure will work for you. 

Sperm Banking for Men

Sperm banking, or sperm cryopreservation, involves collecting and freezing sperm for future use. The process typically includes providing a semen sample, which is then processed, frozen, and stored in a sperm bank until needed.

Factors influencing the success of sperm banking include the sperm quality at the time of collection, your overall health, and the storage duration. Like egg freezing, sperm banking is by no means a flawless process, though it can dramatically improve your fertility chances while undergoing cancer treatments. Once again, if you are considering sperm banking, you will want to discuss this decision with your healthcare provider to gain a more complete understanding of your options. 

Timing Matters

When faced with a cancer diagnosis, you will want to time your fertility decisions for optimized results. I would strongly recommend consulting with a fertility specialist early in the process, preferably pre-cancer treatment. The goal here is never to value reproductive health above your overall well-being but rather to locate a solution that can hit a pause on those fertility conversations. 

At the same time, you drive all your energy towards the fight against cancer. Above all, fertility specialists understand that you are not choosing between receiving treatment and preserving fertility but instead finding a solution that advances both needs at the same time.

Experts can help you safely navigate these choices in a way that prioritizes your health for the long term. If you seek guidance from specialists, like our experts at Nevada Fertility Institute, you can better develop a strategy that safeguards your fertility without disrupting your cancer treatments. These specialists can align your chosen method with your type of cancer, treatment plan, and individual health factors, which will maximize your chances of fertility preservation.

My Approach to Fertility Treatment

At Nevada Fertility Institute, I believe in personalizing my fertility treatment model to my patients' distinct needs. Whether a patient is considering sperm banking or egg freezing, I prefer to gain a comprehensive understanding of their health and cancer diagnosis before making specific recommendations about family planning. 

Time and time again, I have seen cancer survivors go on to build the family they’ve always wanted—and for me, nothing can be more rewarding than serving my patients during one of life’s most challenging times.

A cancer diagnosis can pose several frightening challenges. Chief among these is the ability to maintain fertility while pursuing more aggressive forms of treatment. But fertility experts can help assuage that anxiety and safeguard your family goals while you endure the fight against cancer. 

Proven methods like sperm banking and egg freezing can significantly improve your fertility chances after treatments. By working in collaboration with your doctors and engaging in an open conversation about your needs and family goals, you can strike a perfect balance between defeating cancer, addressing your immediate healthcare needs, and planning for the future.