Fertility Preservation Program at The Fertility Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan

When calling this center, please mention that the patient has cancer and would like to discuss  fertility preservation. The team of specialists at The Fertility Center provides specialized care to young men and women who are facing disorders or conditions or undergoing treatments that may affect their reproductive function. We provide information and support to young adults regarding the impact of these conditions on reproductive processes including fertility, endocrine function, sexual health and ability to carry a healthy pregnancy. We offer a range of services for fertility preservation including embryo cryopreservation, oocyte cryopreservation and ovarian suppression in women and sperm cryopreservation and surgical sperm extraction procedures in men. Fertility preservation for young men and women with cancer A new diagnosis of cancer is devastating and brings a lot of pain and anxiety to individuals and their families.  Cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) adversely impact fertility in both men and women and can lead to permanent decline in fertility. Discussion of fertility and its preservation before initiation of cancer treatment is now recognized as standard of care. With advances in cancer detection and treatment, more and more young adults are surviving their cancer. Once they have survived the cancer, many of them may choose to build a family and live as normal a life as possible. Fertility preservation before cancer treatment helps them fulfills this desire. However, preserving fertility, while young individuals and their families are battling cancer remains a challenge. Surviving the cancer is the focus of those affected by cancer and discussion regarding future fertility can be missed. Here at The Fertility Center, we make it easy for young man and women with a diagnosis of cancer to have the discussion about fertility preservation. We provide immediate (within 24 hours) consultation to individuals with cancer and their family members to meet with a fertility specialist and understand options for preserving fertility. Our fertility specialists have vast experience in fertility preservation options for both men and women with various types of cancers. We provide education and support regarding various options for fertility preservation in the setting of cancer. This decreases conflicts in decision making and helps individuals with cancer make a well-informed decision regarding their fertility. We co-ordinate fertility care with the multidisciplinary oncology team and discuss with the oncologist to see if a particular approach for fertility preservation will be safe and can be incorporated into the cancer treatment plan. We individualize fertility treatment to minimize risks associated with assisted reproductive techniques and medications and maximize the likelihood of successful fertility preservation. Our patient navigators provide individualized care. They help co-ordinate care and facilitate any fertility preservation procedures that a young adult may need. They provide information regarding various resources for fertility preservation including financial assistance through various organizations and support groups. Our medical social worker is available to them for support and counseling. When a cancer survivor is healthy and ready to start a family, our team works with them to utilize the preserved tissue.  We also help cancer survivors build their families through donor gametes, donor embryos and gestational carriers.  In addition, our team provides initial and ongoing education regarding fertility preservation to health care providers working in oncology surgery, medical oncology, pediatric oncology, transplant and radiation centers in West Michigan. Our program works closely with organizations that offers financial assistance for fertility preservation including Livestrong Fertility, Heart Beat Program, Team Maggie, Gilda's Club Grand Rapids and the SAM fund. Our practice also provides financial assistance through The Fertility Center Family Building Fund. The Family Building Fund is a need based fund provided by The Fertility Center to assist with the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and fertility preservation procedures. Funding is awarded as selected by The Fertility Center’s funding committee.