6 Fertility Preserving Tips for Women Starting Breast Cancer Treatment

There are steps you can take to preserve your options if you’d like to have a baby after you’re done with treatment.

By  Laura Newman 
Medically Reviewed by  Krystal Cascetta, MD

Having a baby may feel like the furthest thing from your mind when you are diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly, you feel like you are in emergencymode, juggling medical appointments and procedures that must be urgently arranged. But if you are advised to get radiation or chemotherapy, your doctor should tell you that these treatments could make it harder to get pregnant later on, or put you into early menopause.

The best time to take steps to preserve your fertility is before cancer treatment. The good news is that you should be able to get services and still be able to start treatment without delay. Here are six tips to get you started:

1. Recognize Discussing Your Fertility Before Treatment Begins Is Your Right

A discussion about fertility preservation services after a cancer diagnosis is your right. In 2006, the American Society of Clinical Oncology published its first clinical practice guideline on fertility preservation for adults and children with cancer, urging discussions and prompt referrals for fertility consultations for patients with cancer.

International guidelines published in January 2016 in the journal BMC Medicine also recommend that physicians “discuss, as early as possible, with all patients of reproductive age their risk of infertility from the disease or treatment and their interest in having children after cancer, as well as provide help with obtaining referrals and help with informed fertility decisions.”

2. Ask Your Oncologist, Obstetrician-Gynecologist, or Primary Care Doctor for a Referral

Access to fertility providers varies across the United States. Ideally, it would be great if your oncologist worked with fertility services so your care could be coordinated. If none of your doctors can give you a referral, the nonprofit Alliance for Fertility Preservation has a program called Fertility Scout that can help you locate providers quickly. The Alliance is well aware of the “suboptimal rates” of discussions between oncologists and their patients, and is dedicated to helping you locate services.

3. Freezing and Storing Your Eggs Is One Option

Schedule an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist or fertility doctor as soon as possible. When you call to set up an appointment, be sure to tell them that you plan to start cancer treatment as soon as you can. This is critically important because you won’t want to delay cancer treatment.

Ask the practice if they are using a newish technique called random start egg-retrieval technique, which means that you won’t have to wait for your period, but can quickly begin the process. Egg retrieval works best when you are under age 37. That’s because the younger you are when you freeze your eggs, the better your chances are for a successful pregnancy.

4. If You Have a Partner or Are Married, IVF and Embryo Preservation Might Be a Better Option

This is because the rates of subsequent pregnancy are higher than they are for egg freezing. But if you don’t have a partner or sperm donor, this might not be feasible. Embryo freezing requires retrieving, freezing, and storing the embryos, after a cycle of in vitro fertilization.

5. The Cost of Fertility Treatment Can Add Up Quickly

According to 2017 information by the Alliance for Fertility Preservation (AFP), egg freezing costs — which should include all testing, monitoring, medication, and egg freezing — can range between $10,000 and $15,000. At the outset, be sure what costs are included. Egg storage costs between $300 to $500 per year. An additional fee is likely to be added for thawing, fertilization, and embryo transfer when you choose to become pregnant. For embryo freezing, the costs the AFP quotes are $11,000 to $15,000, with storage fees between $400 and $600 per year.

6. Financial Assistance Might Be Available to You

The costs of fertility treatment are often not covered by insurance, with the exception of a handful of states (Rhode Island and Connecticut), employers, and insurers. In 2014, Apple and Facebook announced that they would cover these costs for employees, up to $20,000. This area is changing rapidly, so be sure to ask your employer and insurer. Additionally, the Livestrong Foundation and other programs may help you with costs.

Last Updated:10/25/2017

Sources: everdayhealth.com
Founder: e-daifu.com