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Especially for Partners of Female Cancer Patients

The list of potential side effects of cancer treatments can often sound worse than the disease. Many of these side-effects are immediate and life altering, and may cause your partner to feel unwell. These immediate side-effects may cause fear and anxiety. Long term side effects are often not recognized or discussed at the time of diagnosis. Infertility - or the inability to have children later in life - may occur following treatment with certain chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy directed at or near the ovaries, high doses of radiation therapy to the brain, total body irradiation and surgery of the reproductive organ. Infertility can be a devastating side-effect of cancer treatment.

Infertility is of very high concern to adults undergoing cancer therapy, and is also a source of great concern to their partners. It can be emotionally difficult to discuss the possibility of infertility. Nevertheless, couples facing cancer therapy should be aware of the potential effects of treatment, and formulate a plan to deal with it. Cancer survivors are often angry that they were not more informed about infertility at the time of their cancer treatment.

We invite you to participate with your partner during the initial counseling session. At that time, questions about the procedure, costs, and future use of the cryopreserved eggs or embryo will be discussed.