Fertility Preservation Offers Cancer Patients Chance to Start Families After Treatment

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Oct. 27, 2015 - PRLog -- Breast cancer affects one in eight women. For those women diagnosed at a young age, a major concern is the ability to conceive after treatment.   Through fertility preservation offered at The Fertility Center of Charleston, women have a chance to start a family after cancer; despite the affects treatments can have on fertility.   Dr. Stephanie Singleton explains,  “Some treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can have an adverse affect on a woman’s fertility.  Egg Freezing is a procedure that will enable the woman to have a family after cancer.   We often treat patients right after diagnosis, but before their cancer therapy begins."

Cancer Treatment and Fertility--Chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer and other serious illnesses can affect reproductive health. Surgery involving reproductive tissue may also affect fertility. The likelihood that cancer treatment will harm your fertility depends on several factors, including the type of cancer and cancer treatment and the patient’s age at the time of treatment.  The regimens that threaten ovarian and testicular function are mainly radiation.

Timing is a Factor--Upon learning cancer therapies are associated with a risk to fertility, patients are urged to schedule an initial consult immediately. The Fertility Center of Charleston understands the time sensitivity and leaves consultation openings in each month to accommodate patients needing fertility preservation.  The process is expedited in order to not delay cancer treatment. Timing is a factor as one oncology treatment session can have lasting fertility effects.

Fertility Preservation-- Egg freezing or oocyte preservation is the process in which a woman’s healthy, viable eggs are retrieved before the cancer treatment begins.   These eggs are preserved for later use.  The preservation process consists of cryopreserving (freezing) eggs which can later be thawed, fertilized, and placed back inside the uterus when a woman is finished with cancer therapy and ready to start a family.  The frozen oocytes have no expiration date. Dr. Singleton, the only board certified female physician locally offering this procedure, works with local oncologists to insure that breast cancer patients get the best care possible at a minimal cost.   She states, “For many of these women, time and money are factors they have to consider.  Many need to start treatment immediately, so we offer them same day appointments.    We help them understand the procedure, and hopefully make this part of their cancer journey stress free.”

 The Fertility Center of Charleston is located in Mt. Pleasant, SC and serves patients across the state and in Savannah, Georgia.   They always offer free second opinion consults.  To learn more about fertility preservation, log onto www.fertilitycharleston.com.