Â鶹ӳ»­

We offer streamlined access to fertility preservation methods including egg and embryo freezing, sperm banking and ovarian tissue freezing through our partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Children¡¯s Hospital Family Fertility Center. More information for patients

Pathways? Decision Aid Website

Pathways? is a fertility preservation patient decision aid website for women with cancer. It was created to address the informational and decision-support needs of women at risk for cancer-related infertility. Our research team partnered with cancer survivors and our stakeholder research partners to design, test and optimize the Pathways? patient decision aid to help women make decisions about fertility preservation that are in line with their personal goals and values.

Oncofertility Database

We established a database to collect information about the fertility status of reproductive-aged individuals who have a history of cancer or are considered at high risk of developing cancer. The database includes data about their oncology history, reproductive history and experiences with fertility preservation, if applicable. This data will help us learn more about the effects of different cancer treatments on fertility status and the reproductive outcomes of cancer survivors.

Ovarian Toxicity

Approximately 15% women diagnosed with cancer are of reproductive age. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommend counseling all reproductive-aged women regarding the reproductive impact of their cancer care prior to initiation of treatment. However, there is a significant information gap regarding the ovarian toxicity of many anticancer agents. A recent ASCO statement recommends the routine measurement of ovarian function and toxicity in cancer treatment trials that enroll post-pubertal, premenopausal patients. Our research helps inform best practice recommendations to standardize ovarian function and toxicity monitoring for reproductive aged patients through treatment and survivorship.

Professional Education

The MD Anderson Oncofertility Program is committed to training current and future clinicians by providing didactic sessions as well as educational opportunities through clinical shadowing experiences.

Trainees participating in the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine have a one-month clinical rotations in Oncofertility at the MD Anderson Texas Medical Center Campus.

Patient Education

We also partner with Patient Education and the MD Anderson Learning Center, which offer fertility preservation resources both in print and video. Some of these resources describe the various fertility preservation options that are available to patients who are at risk of cancer-related infertility.

The Texas Cancer Registry indicates that more than 8,000 adolescent and young adult Texans between the ages of 15 and 39 are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2025.

The treatments that are required to treat cancer can directly or indirectly cause medically-induced (iatrogenic) infertility. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery can damage gametes (eggs and sperm), reproductive organs and/or endocrine functioning; they may also impact the ability to carry a pregnancy. Because this damage is caused by treatments and not the disease, it can affect patients with many types of cancer.

This means that in the midst of dealing with a cancer diagnosis, patients who are about to begin life-saving, but potentially sterilizing, cancer treatments have to make urgent, difficult decisions about their reproductive capacity. Insurance coverage is an important part of ensuring that patients have the broadest set up of options as they consider their future.

MD Anderson serves as a resource for policy makers on this subject, working with stakeholders to help to educate on the benefits of robust coverage for cancer patients. In 2023, Texas House Bill 1649 was passed, requiring some insurers to pay for fertility preservation for cancer patients starting on January 1, 2024.