Episode 44: Fertility Preservation after a Cancer Diagnosis

The Whole Pineapple

A diagnosis of cancer or other serious condition is bad enough — dealing with tests, treatments, insurance, uncertainty, as well as the illness — but knowing that the condition or its treatments can also cause infertility…. It just feels so horribly unfair.

The good news is for many, that diagnosis doesn’t have to equal the end of fertility. The landscape for patients has changed. In this episode, Ruby and Anne talk with fellow Seattle Reproductive Medicine provider and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lynn Davis about options for preserving fertility.

Dr. Davis started her educational journey with a double major in Biology and Psychology from the University of Virginia, followed by her MD from the University of Colorado and OB/GYN residency from Harvard. She concluded her training with her REI Fellowship at Stanford University, where she also completed a postdoctoral Fellowship at the Stanford Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, and served as Clinical Instructor in the Department of OB/GYN.

Dr. Davis developed and now leads SRM’s Fertility Preservation Program, a specialized approach that assists those who need assisted reproductive technology to efficiently delay family building.

So, what are some of the options? Gamete freezing — sperm, eggs, maybe even embryos — may provide additional options for post-treatment family building. If the patient is pre-menarchal (hasn’t had their first period), then stimulating the ovaries to freeze eggs is not possible, but ovarian tissue freezing may allow options for future fertility and hormone function.

The best option for anyone in this position is to talk with your care team and a fertility expert to learn what the possibilities are for you. As ever, please do share this episode with anyone you know who might need both the knowledge and the hope this conversation brings!

You can learn more about Dr. Lynn Davis and reproductive endocrinology at www.seattlefertility.com.

You can also find Anne and Ruby there. Hear more episodes of The Whole Pineapple at thewholepineapple.com.