OncoFertility from Time Magazine

Alex Comments:  The growing field of fertility for cancer patients combines what I know a lot about: fertility and cancer.  I am a fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine.   and knowledgeable about treating cancer from my own cancer experience, training and practice.  See my website for fertility and cancer information.  As a practitioner of Chinese Medicine I can help a woman restore her fertility when appropriate.  Whether using amazing technologies such as surrogacy, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, embryo freezing, or sperm freezing, the need for cancer patients to integrate strategies to maximize their vitality and intelligently manage side effects of cancer treatment is a life and fertility enhancing strategy.  Like Oncofertility, integrative oncology is an area of research and clinical practice that is a new concept for many. 

Recently I met with Alice Crisci,  a cancer survivor and founder of Fertile Action.  This is a cancer charity of community partners for women of reproductive age. They ensure women can protect their right to motherhood for women who are being treated for cancer.  This is a great organization and resource. She states, It is the only 100% inclusive discount program for all women to pursue fertility preservation. She also launched the Fertile Action Network, a multi-disciplinary outreach campaign to ensure every doctor discusses fertility risks with their patients.

Holly Trandel was married on Oct. 1. Like any other bride, she juggled an endless to-do list before gliding down the aisle of St. Alphonsus Church in Chicago, the train of her fluted ivory silk gown sweeping between the oak pews.
Unlike other newlyweds, however, Trandel, 29, already has her future as a mother mapped out — five potential babies on ice at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she works as a community health educator.

Trandel was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, two months after getting engaged. But in many ways she considers herself lucky. Her cancer was caught early. It also happened to be discovered at the hospital that serves as the hub of the nationwide Oncofertility Consortium, a network of some 60 cancer centers where doctors take a larger-than-usual view of the aftereffects of cancer—namely, the impact of treatment on a patient's fertility.
What it means to survive cancer today is very different from what it meant 20 or even 10 years ago. Back then, doctors and patients approached cancer like a monster to be slain; surviving was the only goal. But as treatments have improved, cancer patients have begun demanding more than just survival. They want a return to life as usual. They want to be normal people, leading normal lives. They want to have babies.


Read the whole Article here : http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2022642-1,00.html#ixzz12e4IjHjf