Fertility preservation

Counseling and treatment support

Many chemotherapy drugs used to treat malignant neoplasms have a toxic effect on the organs responsible for gamete production (ovaries and testes) with a high risk of resulting in infertility in the treated individual. For women and men who are facing a course of treatment (such as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy) or who have special needs (e.g., undergo vasectomy), there are avenues for them to be able to preserve their fertility.

Female fertility preservation

• Employment of drugs that block ovulation by putting the ovaries at rest (GnRH analogs) during chemotherapy treatments by decreasing their toxicity at the gonadal level and thus reducing the numbers of eggs that are affected during treatment.
• Oocyte freezing after ovarian stimulation and retrieval with ultrasound-guided aspiration. The procedure takes about 2-3 weeks and ends with a small outpatient procedure in which the eggs are retrieved and stored for several years.
• Freezing of ovarian tissue that is harvested by laparoscopic surgery, stored for future use if ovarian reserve is greatly diminished, or destroyed.

Male fertility preservation

Cryopreservation of semen is available for men. This service is offered:

• To patients who have to undergo genital surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy that could permanently affect fertility. In these cases, storage can be maintained for 5 years or indefinitely if secondary infertility has been determined due to the therapies.
• To persons who have a need to preemptively retain a deposit of semen before medically assisted procreation treatments or before undergoing vasectomy. In this case the repository can be maintained for 5 years possibly renewable for another 5 years.