Freezing Eggs or Embryos and Other Fertility Preservation Options

Being diagnosed with breast cancer can be overwhelming. There is a lot of information to process about the cancer type and stage and the possible medicines and therapies that may end up being part of your treatment plan. The subject of fertility and whether to freeze eggs or embryos may be the furthest thing from your mind, even if you want to have children or have the option to do so in the future. It’s very likely to be the furthest subject from your doctor’s mind as well. But the best time to discuss fertility preservation is before breast cancer treatment begins. You may have to bring it up with your doctor yourself.

The process of freezing embryos or eggs, called cryopreservation, helps to preserve fertility. It’s one of a few options if you want a baby and are getting ready to start breast cancer treatment.

Talk to your doctor and a fertility specialist who can recommend a fertility center with experience in these types of procedures.

It can take from several days to a few weeks to collect eggs to freeze embryos because it depends on the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle is not as important if you are collecting eggs for freezing. Harvested eggs or embryos can be frozen and stored until you complete your main breast cancer treatment.

Although the technique for freezing eggs and freezing embryos is very well established, some experts recommend freezing eggs rather than embryos because it gives you more options for the future. Your fertility specialist can help you choose which of these procedures makes the most sense to you and discuss success rates for egg freezing versus embryo freezing.

Freezing eggs or embryos can cost $10,000 or more each time you have the procedure — and that total might not include storage fees. Ask your fertility specialist to give you a list of all fees and charges (they vary from center to center). Check to see if your health insurance plan covers some of the costs so you know what you can expect to pay out of pocket. 

One option for preserving fertility is to harvest mature eggs from the ovaries before starting breast cancer treatment. Without fertility drugs, harvesting one or two eggs per cycle is possible. It’s possible to harvest many mature eggs with fertility drugs, but the number depends on your age and ovarian reserve.

Most doctors who specialize in fertility for people diagnosed with cancer customize egg-stimulating medicines according to each individual. Doctors often combine traditional fertility drugs with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor in an injection that you receive for about 11 days. These injections stimulate the ovaries and protect the body from high estrogen levels.

The egg-harvesting process also includes regular ultrasounds and blood work to monitor egg growth. Doctors then remove mature eggs during an outpatient procedure that typically lasts about 30 minutes.

Eggs can be stored for an unlimited time.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), ovarian tissue freezing and transplanting are no longer considered experimental fertility-preservation techniques.

Doctors remove and freeze the egg-producing portion of the ovary before breast cancer treatment begins. The ovarian tissue can be transplanted years later to make pregnancy possible. Reimplanting healthy ovarian tissue after breast cancer treatment can also restore natural hormone production.

The procedure typically involves removing one whole ovary or part of one ovary and dividing the tissue into strips for freezing. The tissue can remain frozen for an unlimited time and be thawed and reimplanted after breast cancer treatment is completed.

There is a separate cost for the tissue-harvesting procedure, the freezing and storage, and the transplantation procedure once you’re ready to try to get pregnant — and they vary. Health insurance plans and some cancer support organizations might cover some or all of the costs associated with ovary tissue freezing.

Whether you have chosen to freeze eggs, embryos, or ovarian tissue, make sure the cryopreservation facility has your current home address and make sure to pay the annual storage fee.