The Best Fertility Center California Can Help You Have Babies After Cancer
A cancer diagnosis is like a punch in the gut, no matter when it happens. However, if it comes before you’ve had the babies you want, it can feel like a one-two punch. But, does that cancer diagnosis necessarily mean you’ll never have biological children? No, not necessarily. With overall 5-year cancer survival rate in the US at around 66%, there’s an excellent chance that you will not only beat the cancer but be ready to parent once you’re well again.
The real question is “how will I achieve parenthood after my body has been through cancer treatment?” This is where Reproductive Services Medical Center, the best fertility center California, comes into the picture. RSMC is a complete, physician run, fertility center and egg donation agency San Diego. We will be there for you from your sperm or egg preservation until your beautiful baby is placed in your arms.
What can I do to have biological children after cancer treatment?
The first thing you do after diagnosis, and before you start any treatment that can affect fertility, is store either sperm or eggs for later use. The new method for flash freezing sperm and eggs, vitrification, is a major advance in cell preservation. It removes the water in the cells before they are frozen so no ice crystals can form. The vitrification process has greatly improved cell survival rates, especially in eggs, which have a high water content. If you already have a partner that you plan on parenting with, it makes sense to make and freeze embryos instead of saving eggs. Embryos have a higher survival rate after thawing than unfertilized eggs do.
Sperm has been freezing well for many years so that isn’t as much of a concern. That being said, if the man does have a partner he’ll be parenting with, the age of her eggs should be part of the equation. Egg quality falls drastically after age 35. So, if she’s likely to be over 35 by the time they are ready to become parents, it makes sense for her to do an egg retrieval cycle after his diagnosis and freeze embryos for later implantation. This way the embryos can be produced using fresh sperm and eggs, which generally results in a higher percentage of viable embryos. Those embryos are like an insurance policy, ensuring a future family.
I’m now cancer free but the cancer treatment has left me sterile or unable to carry a baby to term, how can I still have my baby?
Sterility is an unfortunate side effect of some cancer treatments, the treatment that saved your life ended your reproductive life. This is where the best fertility center California, RSMC, can help you. We are not only a fertility center but also an egg donation agency San Diego and a surrogacy center. If you’re a woman who has frozen some embryos or eggs, but can’t carry a pregnancy, we can arrange for a gestational surrogate to carry your baby to term. For women who couldn’t save eggs before treatment started we have an egg bank, featuring both fresh and frozen eggs from a large base of donors.
With a donor egg, your partner’s sperm and a gestational surrogate you can still have that baby you’ve been dreaming about. For men without female partners, or with a female partner who cannot carry a pregnancy, the combination of their stored sperm, gestational surrogate and donor eggs is a great way to have biological children as well.
Cancer sucks, no doubt about it, and can ruin the best laid plans. However, with the assistance of a full-service fertility center like RSMC in San Diego, it doesn’t have to ruin your plans for a family. Whether you’ve preserved sperm, eggs, or embryos or not, we can use our expertise and resources to help you achieve the family you’ve been dreaming about.
