Oncofertility

Helping Cancer Patients Achieve Fertility Goals

Cancer treatment has come a long way in recent years – now there are more ways than ever to fight back when you get a diagnosis. However, every new advance comes with questions about how it will impact fertility, in both men and women. Talk to experts at Indiana Fertility Institute about designing a solution that balances your treatment needs with your fertility goals.

Ways to Preserve Fertility Before Cancer Treatment

Oncofertility treatments involve safely storing sperm, eggs, or embryos before you begin treatment for cancer. After your treatment is complete, and you’re fully recovered, the preserved sperm, eggs, or embryos are ready for use.

1. Sperm Freezing

   Sperm freezing, also known as sperm banking, takes place prior to cancer treatment. In most cases, semen samples are produced privately by the patient in our medical office. For patients who have some form of testicular dysfunction or obstruction that prevents them from producing sperm, surgical sperm retrieval is a possible treatment procedure. After assessment and processing, sperm samples are cryopreserved and stored at our laboratory, where they can be retrieved for future intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

2. Egg Freezing

   Egg freezing, also known as egg banking, is among the more cutting-edge innovations in oncofertility. The process requires approximately two weeks to complete and has produced more than 2,000 births globally. Egg freezing works by retrieving eggs and cryopreserving them using a flash-freezing technique known as vitrification. They are stored in liquid nitrogen in a specialized storage laboratory and are kept frozen until you are ready to use them. One of the many advantages of this innovative technology is that women can freeze and store their eggs without needing a significant other or sperm source immediately. As with each of these options, it’s important to work closely with your physician during each step of the process.

3. Embryo Freezing

   Embryo freezing, also referred to as embryo banking, involves extracting and inseminating a woman’s eggs with sperm in a laboratory, resulting in an embryo. The embryo is then frozen through vitrification and can be used later on in an IVF cycle. Once you’ve recovered from treatment and are healthy enough to become pregnant again, the embryo can be thawed and transferred into your uterus. Again, continual collaboration with your oncology care team is vital.