October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer affects as many as 1 in 8 women in the United States. For many young women, a cancer diagnosis often cast doubt over their future fertility. But it’s not just women who may lose their fertility from cancer; men, too, face this same infertility risks. The important thing to remember is to discuss your family-building plans with your healthcare team to discuss the best and safest options for you and your future family.
If you’ve just been recently diagnosed with cancer or are completing cancer treatment and beginning to think about having a family, here are seven essential resources online where you can learn more about cancer, infertility and fertility preservation.
1. FertileHope.org: Cancer & Fertility Information Page
Fertile Hope is a national initiative of LIVESTRONG providing reproductive information, support and hope to cancer patients and survivors whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility. Their Cancer & Infertility Information Page provides fertility risks, parenthood options, special considerations, pregnancy and children after cancer, questions to ask your doctor, tips on how to choose a doctor or service, and a list of frequently asked questions. See the complete list of resources here.
2. American Cancer Society: Fertility & Cancer: What Are My Options?
Cancer and its treatment can sometimes affect a person’s ability to have children. At this American Cancer Society page, they offer information on how cancer treatment can affect fertility, ways to preserve fertility before treatment, and fertility options available after treatment. Choose from a list of several, detailed topics here.
3. SaveMyFertility.org
The Hormone Foundation® and the Oncofertility Consortium® created this website and accompanying mobile app to increase public and provider awareness of fertility preservation options for cancer patients, and to educate patients about the effects of cancer treatment on hormonal health. SaveMyFertility.org is an authoritative resource for adult cancer patients and the parents of children with cancer who want to learn more about preserving their fertility before and during cancer treatment, and protecting their hormonal health after treatment. SaveMyFertility.org also provides information and guidance to oncologists, endocrinologists, and other health care providers concerned with the reproductive health of cancer patients and survivors. Learn more by visiting their site or downloading their app.
4. Eggsurance: What is Egg Freezing?
Oocyte Cryopreservation, or egg freezing, is the process of extracting, freezing and storing a woman’s eggs. Essentially, egg freezing allows a woman to suspend the ever-ticking biological clock and bank her eggs for future use. Although not a guarantee, egg freezing is analogous to an insurance policy for the possibility of having future children. Read the complete overview and find more egg freezing resources here.
5. FertilityAuthority.com: Five Questions to Ask about Your Fertility after a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and FertilityAuthority.com is bringing awareness to fertility preservation before breast cancer treatment with five questions women who receive a diagnosis of breast cancer should ask about their fertility before they embark on cancer treatments. Read the full article here.
6. FertilityAuthority.com: Life after Cancer and Preserving Fertility for the Future
“In the past, the only goal of cancer therapy was survival,” says Mitchell Rosen, M.D., Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Director of the UCSF Fertility Preservation Center. “However, as survival in patients of reproductive age has improved, the medical community increasingly has taken an interest in life after cancer, in particular paying attention to treatment-related infertility and reproductive health.” Read the complete article online here.
7. FertileHope.org: Survivor Stories
The power of a survivor story is immeasurable. Your story offers support and inspiration to others who may find themselves in a similar situation. We are grateful to the survivors who have shared their stories with us – with you. Read their stories and the lessons they learned may also benefit you. See all the survivor stories at this link.
Learn more about your many family-building options by ordering one of our three informational packets today.