More and more pediatric and young adult cancer patients are surviving their malignancy and so we are now also focused more on quality of life issues, and few are as important as fertility. Chemotherapy, surgery and radiation used to cure cancers can also unfortunately render survivors infertile.
As a result, oncologists at our center work closely with fertility preservation specialists at Magee Womens Hospital to provide both consultation and services that can preserve fertility.
The fertility preservation services provided include:
- Sperm Banking. This is the gold standard for young men after puberty to preserve their fertility. The initial processing fees and first 5 years of storage are all covered by our AYA Fund within the Children's Foundation.
- Oocyte Freezing. Freezing of unfertilized eggs prior to chemotherapy and radiation is no longer experimental.
- Ovarian Tissue Freezing. Freezing of parts of or a whole ovary prior to chemotherapy and radiation is considered experimental, but we have an approved protocol at Children’s and Magee Womens Hospital in conjunction with the national Oncofertility Consortium. This approach has led to at least 30 live births to date.
- Testicular Tissue Freezing. Freezing of part of a testicle prior to chemotherapy and radiation is considered experimental, but we have an approved protocol at Children’s and Magee Womens Hospital in conjunction with the national Oncofertility Consortium.
Our program is unique in the country in that we have preserved tissue in patients that have already received chemotherapy. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.
For specifics, ask your oncologist or refer to Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation Fertility Preservations Studies to see what is available.
Call the Fertility Hotline at Magee to set up an appointment: 412-641-7475.
