Preserves for cancer patients
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WHAT IS THE PRESERVATION OF FERTILITY IN CANCER PATIENTS?
The preservation of fertility in cancer patients is the application of medical, surgical and laboratory procedures to preserve fertility in children or adults who are at risk before the natural end of her reproductive life, because of the existence of various factors that may compromise the fertility after cancer therapy, either chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgical removal of the disease itself, which makes it necessary for the preservation of fertility.
HOW DOES THE PRESERVATION OF FERTILITY IN CANCER PATIENTS WORK?
Women
The vitrification of eggs in patients with cancer will differ pregnancy when the patient has overcome the disease with the reproductive prediction that you had when you vitrified your eggs at the time of diagnosis of the disease.
Men
Freezing the sperm to preserve fertility in patients who are likely to lose due to chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In these patients it is necessary to froze the samples before you start the treatment, given that once initiated, the semen quality may be impaired and lead to hazards for the offspring.
IN WHAT CASES IS INDICATED THE PRESERVATION OF FERTILITY FOR CANCER PATIENTS?
The decision to preserve fertility should be addressed at the time of diagnosis in close collaboration with the specialist that will treat the patient taking into account various factors:
- Risk of infertility: we must know the type of treatment to which it will be subjected to the patient, as well as his age and ovarian reserve.
- Prognosis: the chances of survival are key in deciding to submit to a woman to this type of treatment of fertility preservation.
- Risk if we delay the start of cancer treatment: some cancers require treatment
immediately, so that you could not perform an ovarian stimulation. - Risk of hormonal treatments: some cancers grow by the action of hormones and an ovarian stimulation would be unwise
PROCESS OF FERTILITY PRESERVATION IN CANCER PATIENTS
Step 1
First consultation
In the first consultation, the doctor will carry out a full gynecological or urological analysis and will explain the different steps of the preservation of fertility. After analyzing the report of the oncologist, will take into account factors such as age and the amount of time available before the start of medical treatment, among others.
Step 2
Getting eggs
In those cases in which the type of cancer allows and with the approval of the oncologist, it's done a soft hormonal stimulation for the ovaries to increase the number of eggs to get.
Step 3
Obtaining sperm
In the case of the man, you just need to get a semen sample by masturbation. It makes an initial analysis of the sample in order to know their status and the expectations after freezing.
Step 4
Vitrification and freezing
For the vitrification of eggs, these are treated with a series of protective clothing, so they won't suffer any damage in the process of cooling. Once the process is completed, they are placed in a few small stands and are immersed in liquid nitrogen, at a temperature of -196°C.
In the case of semen, the technique followed is freezing. In it, the sample is prepared with protective substances that prevent the formation of ice crystals that can damage the sperm.
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