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Fertility Preservation
Cancer shouldn’t stop you from creating the family you want. However, the same life-saving methods we use to treat cancer can also impact your fertility. This is true for both men and women. Siteman Cancer Center has a program to help.
Siteman Cancer Center partners with the WashU Medicine Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. It’s the only in-vitro fertilization clinic in the St. Louis area that’s a member of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART).
Through this Center, we can help preserve and promote the fertility of patients undergoing cancer treatment.
WashU Medicine’s Expertise in Infertility
WashU Medicine has the largest team of infertility specialists in the region. Here, you can see reproductive endocrinologists (REs).
These are OB-GYNs with special training in treating problems related to hormones and fertility. They’re experts in cryopreservation, or freezing eggs and/or sperm. They also diagnose and treat infertility issues.
These board-certified WashU specialists can:
- Remove and evaluate your eggs before or after cancer treatment
- Do pre-implantation testing
- Monitor your ovarian function as you get older
- Help you decide when and if egg preservation is a good option
Men can also contact the clinic to discuss sperm banking before or after treatment. You can get a complete semen analysis and viability test in the Center.
Exploring Fertility Options After a Cancer Diagnosis
Before you begin treatment, your Siteman team will talk to you about fertility and future plans you may have.
After that conversation, we can refer you to the Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center. If you’ve already finished treatment but have concerns about fertility, we can also refer you.
Reproductive endocrinologists at the Center offer many different interventions. They’ll personalize treatment to help you meet your goals.
Fertility preservation for children and teens
Getting diagnosed with cancer at a young age can affect future fertility. Siteman works with children and teens to preserve their ability to have children later in life.
We talk with families about how to plan for future fertility needs. We can connect you with the Fertility Preservation Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. This program helps even the youngest patients protect their fertility, giving them a better chance of having a biological child someday.
For teens and young adults, Siteman’s Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program can help them make decisions about the future, too.