Cancer Patients Look to the Future With New Fertility Preservation Options

As cancers are diagnosed in patients at a younger and younger age, the need for fertility preservation is more important than ever. Dan Gehlbach, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist with Midwest Reproductive Center (MRC), works with couples and individuals to help them maintain their ability to conceive and have a child.

“When patients receive a life-altering diagnosis such as cancer, reproductive issues are often not initially considered,” Dr. Gehlbach says.

“We help men, women and couples, on very short notice, preserve their ability to have children.”

Men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer or other diagnosis that may leave them infertile or sterile can be referred to Dr. Gehlbach. With just a few days’ notice, MRC can complete a patient physical, history and lab work, and collect a sperm sample for preservation and storage in MRC’s lab. Treating women is more involved because the ovaries must be stimulated and the eggs retrieved.

Fertilization preservation also is available for women who, for various reasons, want to bank their eggs and wait to conceive later in life. Women over 40 experience a high rate of infertility and pregnancy loss related to various health conditions. Harvesting and freezing eggs for use later improves their chances of a healthy outcome.

“Patients who are facing treatment that may affect their fertility, and who still want to conceive, should ask for a referral,” Dr. Gehlbach says. “This field of medicine is very personal, and we work to help couples fulfill their dreams of having a family.”

To learn more about the fertility preservation services Dr. Gehlbach and the Midwest Reproductive Center offer, call 913.780.4300.