Fertility Preservation
Fertility Preservation Options
Including oncofertility (for cancer patients) & elective fertility preservation (freezing sperm or eggs)
Gamete and embryo freezing (cryopreservation)
Sperm, oocytes (eggs) and surplus embryos can be frozen and stored for use in future treatment cycles. Talk to us today about ways we can help to preserve your future fertility.
Examples of storage and preservation
- Oncofertility for cancer patients, both female and male (see below)
- Sperm freezing and storage can performed as a back up to using fresh sperm. This may be used for example when a partners work commitments prevent them from being available to provide a fresh sample during an ART cycle.
- Egg (oocyte) preservation to secure your future fertility. Statistics show that women are choosing to start a family later and later in life. As the number and more importantly the quality of eggs declines with age, especially from 37-38 years old, many women choose to undergo a stimulation cycle to collect and then freeze eggs. This gives some women the peace of mind that they do not have to rush to start a family and can do it at a time that suits them.
- Embryo storage – After a stimulated ART cycle patients may have surplus embryos. These can be cryopreserved and stored for use in a future cycle.
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Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients
Oncofertility is a term used to define the medical field that links the specialities of Oncology and Reproductive Health. At Coastal IVF we have consulted with local specialists to explore and expand the options for the reproductive future of patients going through cancer treatment.
Certain cancers and their treatments (e.g. chemotherapy) have the potential to severely impair the function of your reproductive organs and cause infertility. If you have recently been diagnosed with cancer, there are options available here on the Sunshine Coast to help protect and preserve your fertility following treatment. These procedures have been designed to ensure they will not compromise your oncology treatment or outcomes.
We have listed some common questions below:
1) Will fertility preservation delay my cancer treatment?
There have been a few overseas studies about this. These studies demonstrate that fertility preservation does not cause a significant time delay, and more importantly the time involved has no recognised impact upon mortality or recurrence rate for cancer patients. The average time delay (of fertility preservation) reported prior to commencing oncology treatment is approximately 14 days.
2) Will fertility preservation affect my prognosis?
Although the numbers are not high, studies have indicated that the present methods of fertility preservation do not significantly affect recurrence rates or morbidity and mortality.
3) What are the chances of future fertility with/without fertility preservation?
Different oncology treatments may have a wide range of effects on your fertility. Common therapies such as chemotherapy, may cause ovarian failure and therefore infertility in around 40% of female cancer survivors. While fertility preservation is not a guarantee of a favourable outcome in the future, modern IVF pregnancy rates are high from a single IVF cycle and therefore significantly improve your chances of having a family in the future.
4) Are there methods which can be implemented to reduce the impact upon my cancer treatment?
There are a number of modifications of standard IVF procedures that allow for immediate or very early start of an IVF cycle. This significantly shortens the time interval for fertility preservation. Secondly, there are a number of drugs or modifications that may protect you from any theoretical adverse risks of fertility preservation (eg. high oestradiol levels). The specifics of treatment will be individualised and discussed with you.
What to do next?
Contact our Practice Manager on (07) 5443 4301 or Make An Appointment
For Females
If you are female you should talk to your surgeon/oncologist/radiotherapist about options for fertility preservation which may be considered appropriate to your care.
Different options are suitable in certain circumstances. These include:
ii) Medications/Procedures/Shielding of the ovaries which help to protect your eggs from the risk of oncology treatment. E.g. surgical repositioning or shielding of the ovaries during radiotherapy.
ii) An IVF Procedure to recruit, retrieve and freeze, in liquid nitrogen, eggs (oocytes) for use in future management to achieve a pregnancy. This involves hormonal treatment to stimulate egg production. Collected eggs can then be cryo-preserved and stored indefinitely for use at a later time. Alternatively, the eggs can be immediately fertilized by a partner’s sperm to produce embryos which can then be frozen for the opportunity for later use to conceive.
iii) Special procedures where segments of the ovary can be surgically removed, treated and frozen (Before the oncology treatment commences). These tissues can be used later to transplant back to you to restore ovarian function at a later date. This highly specialised treatment is only suitable in selective cases and is accessed through a specific program which is co-ordinated through Coastal IVF Maroochydore.
A number of pathways have been established by the doctors on the Sunshine Coast – between surgeons, oncologists, radiotherapists and our fertility program to facilitate these processes. There are management plans which will:
A) Minimise or avoid any delay in oncology treatment and;
B) Minimise the effect of any of the above treatments on the beneficial effects of oncology management.
Discuss any of your concerns with you specialist (surgeon, oncologist or radiologist) who can then refer you immediately to Dr Paul Stokes at Coastal IVF to plan your fertility management.
For Males
If you are a male, it may be suitable for you to store sperm for use in the future. Sperm counts can vary widely between men and also at different times for an individual. It is likely that more than one semen sample will be needed to be stored to ensure options in the future.
How to arrange this?
Speak to your treating doctor, and if he/she agrees, phone or contact us on (07) 54434301 or Make An Appointment
When to arrange this?
As soon as possible as there is limited time available before you start surgical or medical treatment for the cancer.
What will you require?
A referral from your treating doctors your surgeons/oncologist or GP; an urgent appointment at Coastal IVF Maroochydore, usually the day after you make contact.
It is important to make contact early and express your interest so that appropriate medical counselling can be provided at the earliest opportunity. This will give you the opportunity to consider all options and then to expedite the appropriate investigations or treatment plans without interrupting or delaying your cancer management.
