All articles tagged with #fertility preservation
Erin Lavery, diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma at 21, couldn’t preserve eggs before treatment and is now cancer-free but must self-fund an £8,000 fertility preservation plan to have a chance at children; she’s campaigning for NHS coverage and quicker fertility services for cancer survivors in Scotland.
The Pentagon launches a three-year fertility-preservation pilot that reimburses eligible active-duty troops up to $10,000 per year to freeze eggs (and up to $500 per year for sperm), with coverage starting Sept. 14; eligibility includes deployment orders to hazardous areas or long separations, and services can be performed at military medical facilities or civilian clinics; beneficiaries must have an advanced directive detailing posthumous use of gametes, and the Defense Health Agency will assess the program on participation, costs, administrative burden, user experience, and impact on readiness and retention.
A growing field called oncofertility helps younger cancer patients preserve fertility alongside treatment, using methods such as egg freezing and ovarian tissue preservation; cases like Jenilee Crowley, who paused hormone therapy to freeze embryos and welcome a son, illustrate both the possibilities and the time-sensitive challenges of fertility preservation. Costs can reach about $20,000 without insurance, and coverage varies by state, though several New England states have enacted laws to expand benefits and nonprofits like Worth the Wait help with storage costs. New research from Dana-Farber suggests that delaying pregnancy by pausing therapy does not necessarily raise recurrence risk, offering survivors a viable path to biological children after cancer.
At 25, Crofton learned she had myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare bone marrow cancer, and faced a stem cell transplant that could end her fertility. She froze eggs in 2015, part of a growing oncofertility approach to preserve options before treatment. After years of therapy, she used one thawed embryo with donor sperm to have a son at 37. The piece highlights how fertility preservation is increasingly integrated into cancer care, despite time and cost barriers, amid rising cancer diagnoses among young adults.
In a proof-of-principle trial, researchers transplanted cryopreserved prepubertal testicular tissue back into a man who had high-dose chemotherapy as a child; two grafts formed mature sperm, which were collected and frozen, marking the first time this approach restored sperm production in an adult and offering hope for biological children in childhood cancer survivors. The findings appear in a preprint and have not yet been peer‑reviewed, and UK trials are expanding the work with hundreds of patients potentially benefiting.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government to allow the company to fund fertility preservation services for patients receiving Casgevy, a CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease. The lawsuit challenges an oral opinion from the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, which deemed the program a violation of federal anti-kickback laws. Vertex argues that the program is essential for patients who must undergo chemotherapy, which can cause infertility, and that the refusal to allow such support exacerbates healthcare inequalities.
Isabella Strahan, 19, daughter of Michael Strahan, revealed the difficult process of harvesting her eggs for fertility preservation as she prepares for chemotherapy to treat her rare brain cancer. Her doctor is optimistic about her prognosis, and she has undergone surgery and radiation therapy. Isabella plans to undergo chemotherapy at Duke University and hopes to return to college to restart her experience as a student.
Many sickle cell patients in the US face a difficult choice between a potential cure and preserving their fertility. Experimental gene therapies like CRISPR offer hope for a cure, but often require chemotherapy that can leave patients sterile. While some clinical trials provide counseling and fertility preservation services, most Americans with sickle cell will not have access to these options once the therapies are approved. Coverage for fertility preservation varies across states and insurers, leaving many patients to bear the high costs on their own. The lack of attention to fertility and gynecological issues in sickle cell care is another example of the discrimination faced by these patients.