Protecting Reproductive Health for Cancer Patients
The ability to have children can be affected by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
However, options are improving. Before treatment begins, the Moncrief Fertility Preservation program helps you learn about your risks and established fertility options. We also work with patients who have already been treated. In some cases, fertility can return after treatment; but, it may depend on many variables including your age, gender, type of cancer, and treatment.
A Future Family may be Possible After Cancer. Know What You can Do Now:
- Embryo banking – removal of eggs and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab. Later the embryo may be implanted in the uterus.
- Egg (oocyte) banking – removal of eggs for later use.
- Hormone suppression – using drugs to decrease ovary function to protect the ovaries from chemotherapy damage.
What Men can Do to Preserve Fertility:
- Sperm banking – sperm is frozen and saved for future use.
Offering Financial Help:
Fertility preservation can be expensive and is often beyond the reach of patients, even those with medical insurance. Through our partnership with the Rutledge Foundation, we help young adults with cancer offset the costs. We also partner with community physicians and pharmaceutical companies to reduce fertility preservation expenses. As part of the Fort Worth Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Coalition, Moncrief works to improve the options for young adults diagnosed with cancer to have families.
Our program is open to all cancer patients regardless of disease progression, insurance plan, or the ability to pay.
Contact us at fertility@moncrief.com.
