Oncofertility – fertility preservation

Both cancer and the treatments used to combat it can negatively affect your chances of becoming a parent in the future. Do not allow irreversible damage to your fertility. Modern medicine allows you to protect your fertility potential. Find out more!

Book an appointment | KrakowHere to help

Book an appointment | SzczecinHere to help

What is oncofertility?

Oncofertility is the preservation of fertility in the face of cancer. Many people are unaware that chemotherapy and radiotherapy used in cancer treatment can permanently damage reproductive potential and prevent them from having children in the future. It is estimated that only 1/3 of cancer patients receive information about fertility preservation before starting treatment.

Chemotherapy destroys the follicles in the ovaries; the literature refers to this as the ‘burning out’ of the primary follicles. There are no protective measures that could minimise the side effects of chemotherapy. This does not mean that we have no options for protecting our fertility. We just need to think about it before starting treatment.

Preserving fertility in women

Cancer treatment (chemotherapy and radiotherapy) often leads to impaired ovarian function. This is because the ovaries are particularly sensitive to the destructive effects of cytotoxic drugs. As a result, patients who have undergone cancer treatment, despite overcoming the disease, lose the chance to have biological offspring. The medical solution for such patients is to preserve their fertility before starting treatment.

oncofertility-onkofertility-zabepieczenie-plodnosci-starania-o-dziecko

Fertility preservation options for women

At TFP clinics, we use two medical procedures to restore fertility in women who have undergone cancer treatment. The choice of the appropriate method depends, among other things, on the patient's age, her current life situation and time constraints related to undergoing cancer treatment.

Embryo freezing

This method is used for patients who have a permanent partner. The couple trying to conceive must undergo the process of preparing for in vitro fertilisation before starting cancer treatment. The embryos (a combination of the woman's egg and her partner's sperm) are frozen and can be transferred to the woman's uterus after treatment is completed. This method is not recommended when the patient's time to undergo cancer treatment is limited (when she should start therapy immediately, without wasting time on hormonal stimulation) and in cases of cancers that exclude the use of hormonal stimulation.

Freezing mature eggs

This method is used in patients of childbearing age. Only the woman's eggs are frozen, which in the future, after completion of cancer treatment, can be fertilised using in vitro fertilisation. Time is also a limitation of this method. If the patient needs to start cancer treatment immediately, there is no time to undergo hormonal stimulation to allow for the collection of at least a few mature eggs. The method is also not used in the case of cancers that exclude the use of hormonal stimulation.

Egg freezing procedure

What is the procedure for retrieving and freezing eggs?

Freezing eggs can take up to three weeks and involves the following steps:

Step 1

Hormonal ovarian stimulation

The process begins with hormonal stimulation, which aims to increase the number of mature eggs compared to the natural cycle. For a period of several to a dozen or so days, the patient takes special medications that support the development and maturation of a larger number of eggs – usually the aim is to obtain a dozen or so. The entire process is performed on an outpatient basis: the woman regularly takes the prescribed medications, and the doctor monitors the effects of the therapy by performing ultrasound examinations every few days and checking hormone levels.

Step 2

Egg retrieval

Egg retrieval, known as ovarian puncture, is the next stage of the in vitro procedure. This procedure is performed under short-term general anaesthesia, so the patient feels no pain or discomfort. During the procedure, the doctor uses ultrasound guidance to insert a thin needle through the vagina, which is used to puncture the ovarian follicles and collect the fluid containing the eggs. The whole procedure usually takes several minutes, and after it is completed, the patient remains under medical supervision for a few hours. If there are no complications, it is possible to return home on the same day, usually after about two hours. It is important not to drive after the procedure and to have someone accompany you.

Step 3

Egg freezing

After collection, the eggs are transferred to a laboratory where they undergo vitrification – a rapid freezing method that effectively protects the cells from damage and preserves their reproductive properties. Frozen oocytes are stored in liquid nitrogen, which allows for long-term storage – even for several years. This means that they can be used in the future for in vitro fertilisation, increasing the chances of pregnancy when a woman decides to become a mother.

Oncofertility – fertility preservation

How can we assist you?

The decision to preserve fertility is entirely voluntary and depends solely on the patient. It should be made in consultation with the attending oncologist. The specialists at our clinic are responsible for proposing and implementing an appropriate method that will help the patient start a family in the future. Oncofertility offers a real chance of motherhood after winning the battle against cancer.

Get in touch with us

mrozenie-jajeczek-zamrazanie-komorek-jajowych-swiadome-macierzynstwo

Preserving fertility in men

Cancer treatment often causes temporary or permanent impairment of fertility. This is because the gonads (testicles) are particularly sensitive to the effects of cytotoxic drugs. In order to preserve fertility after cancer treatment, it is advisable to deposit sperm in a bank before starting chemotherapy, where it will be stored until the end of treatment and until the patient decides to have children. Sperm freezing is also recommended for patients preparing for urological procedures that may lead to loss of fertility.

It is also worth using sperm storage in a bank when planning treatment by insemination or in vitro fertilisation in situations where sperm donation is difficult, sperm parameters are extremely low, or it is not possible to be present on the day of insemination/in vitro fertilisation.

Sperm freezing

What does sperm freezing involve?

diagnostyka-nieplodnosci-badanie-nasienia

Testing

In order to deposit sperm in our banks, you must visit the clinic before starting treatment to have a semen analysis (seminogram) and virological and bacteriological tests performed.

Donating and freezing sperm

After receiving the test results, the patient donates his semen for freezing. The man receives a sterile container for the semen sample. The clinic provides a specially prepared room to facilitate semen donation in comfortable conditions.

In the andrology laboratory, after adding the appropriate cryoprotectant, the semen is portioned into 0.5 ml straws, frozen and safely stored in the bank.

badanie-oddanie-nasienia-plemnikow-spermy

Trying for a baby

When you are ready to start trying for a baby, the frozen sperm stored at the bank can be used for insemination or in vitro fertilisation (IVF/ICSI), depending on its parameters.

Fertility preservation