(To provide more information after Dr. Elan Simckes' recent KTVI FOX 2 News interview regarding infertility issues among women with Type O blood, we've gone back in the Fertility Partnership blog vault to reprint this post about the Fertility Profile. We hope it helps you make an informed decision about when to begin trying to conceive.)

Let's face it, it's time for us to reinvent how we look at infertility. All these years, we have been viewing infertility as a quality of life issue. In fact, it is more like a disease, because human organs are not working as they should. A woman's right to try to get pregnant should be the same as a person's right to not have a broken bone or an infection. Nevertheless, we find ourselves in a situation where only people who can afford it and the few who have insurance can be appropriately treated.

Since infertility care is not generally covered by insurance, the medical community has become reactive as opposed to proactive in our management. Couples often wait a very long time before they seek help, as they fear what lies in store for them if infertility is in fact diagnosed. As a result, many women wait too long and are faced with a serious egg reserve problem. Imagine if a woman or man could find out that there is a problem even before they try to have children. If they found out early on, they could prepare themselves emotionally and financially for the upcoming struggle.

Fertility Partnership has created the Fertility Profile to give women an opportunity to get a snapshot of their reproductive health. If the results indicate that there is a significant depletion in their egg reserve, they can make decisions before it's too late. While the Fertility Profile can give women a good snapshot of their current health, however, it cannot predict that the egg reserve will remain within healthy ranges for a long time. In fact, I have seen women whose fertility indicators have changed dramatically over a very short period of time – as little as six months. But, if there is a problem, a woman has a right to know as soon as possible. As it stands now, a woman generally has to try to get pregnant for a year – six months if over age 35 – before most doctors will initiate a comprehensive workup. At the Fertility Partnership, my objective is to always be proactive and look for problems early on so that big decisions about having a baby can be made in a timely fashion.

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Donna Nichols is one of the most courageous and inspiring women you'll ever meet. Here's her story, courtesy of KTVI-TV, about battling the physical and emotional trauma of nine miscarriages before finally giving birth to two beautiful baby boys. Thanks, Donna, for sharing your story and giving hope to many other women dealing with the sorrow of recurrent miscarriage.

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I was pleased to see my former longtime mentor, Dr. Sherman Silber, on KTVI-TV tonight discussing the latest techniques in preserving fertility for women who have or are battling cancer. The advances that have been made in procedures such as ovarian tissue freezing are simply amazing and will give many women a strong chance of having a baby where no hope existed before. This is a vital health topic in an era when the odds of surviving cancer are much better than in the past, and I’m glad to see the issue being addressed so effectively.

As important as it is to get the word out about preserving fertility for female cancer patients, it’s also important for men to know they have fertility preservation options available if they are diagnosed with cancer. At Fertility Partnership, we’ve already had a number of men facing a cancer diagnosis take steps to preserve their fertility.

In one case, a man who’d received a testicular cancer diagnosis in the morning was able to come straight to the Fertility Partnership office from his urologist and immediately give us samples to preserve. From our office, we followed him to the hospital for surgery, and we were able to perform a testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) during his cancer surgery to obtain even more samples. Fortunately, we were able to obtain enough viable sperm so that his entire reproductive needs are frozen for future use. Having a capable, local fertility center with the willingness and ability to respond quickly can make all the difference for people facing the sudden misfortune of a cancer diagnosis.

Unfortunately, preserving a woman’s fertility can be more challenging than for a man. The woman in the KTVI segment tonight had her ovary removed, sliced into pieces, frozen for 10 years, and then replaced back into her body after being sewn back together. While a tremendous breakthrough, this technique will not be useful for many of the most common cancers afflicting women of this age group. Leukemia, lymphoma and breast cancer can actually sequester, or harbor, cancer cells in a women’s ovary. We would not be able in those cases to use intact ovarian tissue for fear of reintroducing the cancer into the woman. Luckily, in those situations we have other options such as the proven method of freezing individual (cancer-free) eggs, or the newer science of taking those very same ovarian pieces and performing in vitro maturation in the lab, then harvesting the cancer-free eggs directly from a dish.

Woman or man, if you are diagnosed with cancer and wish to learn more about your options to help preserve your fertility, please contact Fertility Partnership anytime. We can move quickly to ensure every available option is considered in giving you the opportunity try conceiving after you win your battle with cancer.

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