Fertility preservation - what's involved?
Hi everyone. I'm 33 and was diagnosed a few weeks ago. I don't have children and for most of my life I've never wanted them, but I've never completely 100% ruled them out either. It's been suggested ...
Forum Discussion
Hi Sevenbe,
I was 34 when diagnosed so was referred to a fertility specialist.
I must say for me the fertility part was more stressful than the cancer treatment simply due to already being overwhelmed with the cancer info then swept up into a whirlwind of extra tests. This was because where I was in my cycle left little time to attempt for egg harvest before I started chemo. If I had a bit more time to process and ask questions I am sure it wouldnt have been so horrible :)
I couldnt have any injections to stimulate eggs due to my cancer type so had to rely on catching one egg which would naturally be released. This ment a lot of blood tests and internal ultrasounds to monitor the then advised on a surgery date from this monitoring.
On the day they missed catching my one egg but they as a back up had advised on removing a part of one ovary for freezing. This is a new technique which is showing a lot of potential though I honestly cant remember much info about it all. Essentially they place the frozen part of your ovary back into your abdomen somewhere (when you are ready to try for a child), it 'awakens' then you can use those eggs for IVF.
The good aspect of this is these eggs are always going to be the eggs of a 34 year old. The bad part is you still need to do IVF with them.
In regards to if they had of caught my egg. To create an embryo you have to go to a counseling session AND get a police check completed to show that you would be a responsible parent. Yup. All that for a frozen embryo that might never get used.
I dont remember how much this all cost but it wasnt cheap. I figured I would rather spend some money than have any regrets down the track.
I do know what I pay to keep my girly bit on ice though! $180 equals 6 months storage.
On my bill in bold it states:
'Please note that embryos can only be stored for a maximum of 5 years and eggs and ovarian tissue for a maximum of 10 years unless a prior extension of storage time has been approved'
I hope this ramble has helped a little.
All the best with what ever you decide to do on this front and your treatment ahead xo
I was 34 when diagnosed so was referred to a fertility specialist.
I must say for me the fertility part was more stressful than the cancer treatment simply due to already being overwhelmed with the cancer info then swept up into a whirlwind of extra tests. This was because where I was in my cycle left little time to attempt for egg harvest before I started chemo. If I had a bit more time to process and ask questions I am sure it wouldnt have been so horrible :)
I couldnt have any injections to stimulate eggs due to my cancer type so had to rely on catching one egg which would naturally be released. This ment a lot of blood tests and internal ultrasounds to monitor the then advised on a surgery date from this monitoring.
On the day they missed catching my one egg but they as a back up had advised on removing a part of one ovary for freezing. This is a new technique which is showing a lot of potential though I honestly cant remember much info about it all. Essentially they place the frozen part of your ovary back into your abdomen somewhere (when you are ready to try for a child), it 'awakens' then you can use those eggs for IVF.
The good aspect of this is these eggs are always going to be the eggs of a 34 year old. The bad part is you still need to do IVF with them.
In regards to if they had of caught my egg. To create an embryo you have to go to a counseling session AND get a police check completed to show that you would be a responsible parent. Yup. All that for a frozen embryo that might never get used.
I dont remember how much this all cost but it wasnt cheap. I figured I would rather spend some money than have any regrets down the track.
I do know what I pay to keep my girly bit on ice though! $180 equals 6 months storage.
On my bill in bold it states:
'Please note that embryos can only be stored for a maximum of 5 years and eggs and ovarian tissue for a maximum of 10 years unless a prior extension of storage time has been approved'
I hope this ramble has helped a little.
All the best with what ever you decide to do on this front and your treatment ahead xo