Coping With Fertility Concerns: Finding Resources and Support

Cancer can have an impact on your chance to have children. Depending on cancer type and treatment, age and other factors, your fertility may be affected on a short-term or permanent basis. This fact sheet will cover:

• How cancer can affect fertility
• Help from your health care team
• Organizations that can help

Your Concerns About Fertility

It’s important to understand whether your treatment plan will affect your fertility. There are different options to preserve fertility for men and women, depending on your kind of cancer and treatment. Women may be able to freeze eggs, embryos and ovarian tissue for many years. For men, there may be options to preserve fertility before cancer treatments, including sperm banking.

Talking to Your Health Care Team

Open conversation with your health care team before and during treatment can improve your chance of having fertility options in the future. Here are some questions you may want to ask your doctor:

• Will my treatment plan affect my fertility? Will this treatment affect my fertility short-term or long-term?

• If my treatment affects my fertility, what possible solutions are covered by my insurance? What steps do I need to take before starting treatment?

• Should I talk to a fertility specialist? Can you recommend one?

• When can I start trying to conceive after my treatment is finished?

• What are my options if it is too late to explore fertility preservation?

Open and honest communication with your health care team will help you receive the best care possible. Get support. Dealing with fertility concerns can be stressful and overwhelming. CancerCare’s oncology social workers can help, free of charge. To speak with a professional oncology social worker, call 800-813-HOPE (4673).

Fertility Resources

Expect Miracles Foundationhttp://expectmiraclesfoundation.org/Samfund 617-938-3484

Expect Miracles Foundation’s SAMFund provides critical financial resources to young adult cancer survivors twice a year through grants in two categories: Financial Assistance Grants and Family Building Grants. Visit their website for more.

Livestrong Fertilitywww.livestrong.org/what-we-do/program/fertility 855-220-7777

Livestrong Fertility provides reproductive information, resources and financial support to survivors whose cancer and its treatment present risks to their fertility. The Livestrong Fertility Discount Program partners with compassionate clinics across the country who have committed to discounts to services for qualifying patients.

The Oncofertility Consortiumoncofertility.msu.edu 517-884-6434

The Oncofertility Consortium provides a patient education website highlighting fertility issues and concerns.

ReproTech and Verna’s Purse www.reprotech.com

ReproTech offers safe and effective shipment and long term storage of reproductive tissue that has been originally cryopreserved at another laboratory or cryobank. ReproTech offers a financial assistance program, Verna’s Purse, for those who qualify at www.reprotech.com/vernas-purse.

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Associationwww.resolve.org

RESOLVE is a non-profit organization with the only established, nationwide network mandated to promote reproductive health and to ensure equal access to all family building options for men and women experiencing infertility or other reproductive disorders.