Naturally, the first priority is getting your child lifesaving treatment. 8 out of 10 children patients cancer and most are cured. However, patients often suffer the late effects of cancer treatments. Late-term health effects of cancer treatment may include impaired fertility. As outcomes have improved, patients will have improved quality of life when parents seek to preserve their child’s fertility.

Fertility preservation in children is limited to children who are past puberty. This means girls ages 15-17 and boys ages 16-17. Sperm banking is only possible once a boy has gone through puberty. Egg freezing is only possible once a girl has gone through puberty.

Whether and how your child will be affected by treatment in the long term, depends on the type of cancer, type of treatment and dose, location of the cancer, age when treated, general health before the diagnosis, and the child’s genetic makeup.

Late-term effects vary from person to person, so it is important to monitor for problems. Sperm and egg freezing are well-established methods of fertility preservation in children with cancer who are past puberty.

Importantly, fertility preservation does not diminish the chance of successful cancer treatment in most cases, although in some cases it may delay cancer treatment.

At Ohio Reproductive Medicine we understand that a cancer diagnosis is terrifying, and most patients are anxious to start treatment as quickly as possible. We are sensitive to these circumstances and offer immediate appointments (within 1-3 business days) with our reproductive specialists so you can begin preparation for ovarian stimulation quickly. This allows egg harvesting to occur on an accelerated cycle, which decreases time to cancer treatment without compromising egg or embryo yield. Studies show that this “random start” protocol provides similar numbers of eggs retrieved, egg maturation, and fertilization rates similar to conventional start protocols.

Appointments for freezing of semen prior to treatment can be made at Cryobiology, 614-451-4420, weekdays from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. Obtaining eggs or embryos prior to cancer therapy requires more work. Call Ohio Reproductive Medicine weekdays from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm for very fast appointments, usually within 1 to 3 working days. Often there is some insurance coverage for fertility preservation, and our staff will help you understand your policy benefits that day.

If taking oral contraceptives, we would prefer you stay on them until your first visit to Ohio Reproductive Medicine. Medications to stimulate multiple eggs will require 2 to 3 weeks of treatment, and then a collection of the eggs is an office procedure using local anesthesia. After the collection of the eggs, you can return to your oncologist for therapy.

All patients of reproductive age should receive counseling about their reproductive outlook before cancer treatments, and be offered the option to freeze their eggs, sperm, or embryos, before treatment.

Cryobiology and Ohio Reproductive Medicine are here to help patients preserve their fertility so they can return to normal living after successful cancer treatment, and preserve their opportunity to be biological parents in the future.