Home > Cancer and Treatments
Infertility is a distressing side effect of many cancer treatments. Freezing
gametes (sperm or eggs) prior to the initiation of cancer therapy
gives patients diagnosed with cancer the potential to have a child in the future. Too often, this service is not
considered until the patient is well into cancer treatment and by then, it may be too late.
Here at the U-M Cancer Center, we not only want to cure cancer,
we also want to provide patients with the healthiest future possible. That's why we teamed with professionals from the
the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) laboratory
to meet the unique reproductive needs of cancer patients.
The Fertility Preservation
Program (FP), provides counseling and
education services, as well as semen collection and storage for male
patients; and oocyte (egg) stimulation, harvesting and storage services for female patients. The FP aims to address
the information needs regarding procedural, custody, legal and financial issues, and will assist the patient through
the cryopreservation process in an efficient manner allowing for minimal delays in cancer treatment.
The FP provides patients:
- counseling to discuss cancer-related infertility process
- the expertise of the U-M Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) laboratory
- physician specialists in reproductive endocrinology
- the assistance of the nurse counselor who will act as liaison between the ART laboratory and Cancer Center
physicians ensuring timely processing of samples
- comprehensive educational materials for patients, partners and family members
note: the following links open onto the UMHS website
Dana A. Ohl, M.D., Co-Director, Center for Fertility and Sexuality
Senait Fisseha, M.D., J.D., Medical Director, Center for Reproductive Medicine
