If you have been diagnosed with cancer and need to undergo chemotherapy, it is important to understand that chemotherapy can have a permanent impact on your fertility. Freezing your eggs before chemotherapy can give you the best chances of being able to have children when you are ready to do so. Below, we will take a look at 4 reasons to consider freezing your eggs before chemotherapy.‍

Chemotherapy Can Cause Infertility

‍Infertility is a frequent side effect of chemotherapy because chemotherapeutic drugs affect the body as a whole as well as the cancerous cells. The eggs may be damaged by chemotherapy so that it is not possible to get pregnant. Unfortunately, few women of childbearing age go on to have children after being treated for breast cancer or other common cancers. Freezing your eggs before chemotherapy does not ensure that you will be able to get pregnant, but it may, in certain circumstances, help women whose eggs were damaged.

‍Chemotherapy Can Induce Early Menopause

‍In addition to its possible effects on egg quality, chemotherapy can induce early menopause. Menopause is a severe problem, very few women are able to get pregnant naturally after it occurs. If you freeze your eggs before chemotherapy, you may be able to successfully use them during IVF even after early menopause, or you can use a gestational carrier if your oncologist thinks it is risky to attempt pregnancy yourself.

‍Egg Freezing Gives You Options

‍Ultimately, egg freezing before chemotherapy gives women options that were not available just a few years ago. The effects of chemotherapy can be dramatic and permanent, even when the cancer goes into remission. Egg freezing is one way to take control of your fertility and improve your chances of getting pregnant.

‍Egg Freezing Can Fit Into Your Chemotherapy Schedule

‍Most women can safely go through at least one stimulated egg retrieval cycle before beginning chemotherapy; you can talk to your doctor about coordinating treatment. If your doctor decides that you need to start chemotherapy as soon as possible, you may be a candidate for IVM, a procedure in which immature eggs are collected from the ovaries without the use of several weeks of drug stimulation, and then matured in the laboratory.

Top Doctor for Freezing Your Eggs Before Chemotherapy

Dr. Randy Morris would be happy to meet with you about whether or not egg freezing is right for you. To schedule your consultation today, please click below and enter your information or call IVF1 at (630) 357-6540.