Fertility preservation is a medical process of storing eggs, sperm and reproductive tissues to be used later for having biological children in the future. Advances in cancer diagnosis have come up with cryopreservation that has made it possible for women with ovarian cancer to have biological children.
A study has shown that ‘cryopreservation is the use of very low temperatures to preserve structurally intact living cells and tissues’. A doctor removes eggs from ovaries and preserves them for fertilisation later in life. This procedure is only possible if the doctor finds the woman with ovarian cancer suitable enough for cryopreservation. Moreover, the doctor also fertilises the egg with sperm in a lab to form an embryo.
Only a doctor can decide if a woman with ovarian cancer can bear the baby through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or needs a surrogate mother. Besides preserving eggs, a woman with ovarian cancer can also adopt a child or opt for surrogacy.
A study suggests that ‘it is essential to identify tumours at an initial diagnosis that allows the ovarian and uterus tissue to be maintained because only initial stages can be treated with conservative procedures reducing danger for the patients’. As danger decreases, women have better chances of having biological children.
Fertility preservation offers women diagnosed with ovarian cancer an opportunity to preserve their reproductive options before undergoing treatments like chemotherapy, which may impact fertility. However, many women also wonder whether ovarian cancer treatments themselves can affect their ability to conceive in the future.
The available fertility preservation options mostly depend upon the stage, type and location of the cancer. Hence, a multidisciplinary approach from gynaecologists, gynecologic oncologists, embryologists, operating room staff and reproductive endocrinologists is essential to preserve fertility and quality of life.
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