Fertility Preservation

Fertility preservation is the process of saving embryos, eggs, sperm, and reproductive tissues. This helps make it possible for you to have children in the future.

Fertility Preservation and Treatment Options

Egg Freezing

Strong Fertility Center offers the latest in egg freezing technology (also called oocyte vitrification) to help preserve an individual's fertility.

A individual's fertility is largely dependent on the quantity of their eggs. Over time, fertility potential or egg quality decreases as do the chances of conception. Additionally, some medical conditions such as premature menopause accelerate the aging of eggs while other conditions, cancer or lupus for example, require treatments that often have an adverse effect on fertility. Whatever the cause, diminished egg quality significantly impacts one's ability to conceive.

When freezing eggs, the chance of pregnancy is based on the age when the eggs were frozen, not the age when they uses the eggs. While using frozen eggs does not guarantee a baby, egg freezing can improve the chances and provide peace of mind.

Sperm Banking

Strong Fertility Center provides sperm cryopreservation (sperm banking), which can offer individuals the security of knowing that the possibility of parenthood is preserved.

Strong Fertility Center is a New York State licensed and inspected facility for freezing and short-term storage of semen samples. We have partnered with Reprotech, an industry leader in long-term storage of biological specimens, to provide long-term storage of semen samples. 

The state of New York and the federal government regulate the use of cryopreserved sperm. In order to maintain this in compliance and for the safest storage, laboratory testing for infectious disease is required before sperm can be collected, frozen, and stored.

These blood tests for sexually transmitted diseases will need to be performed. Failure to have these tests performed could prevent you from using your samples. If there is not an identified partner at the time of storage, additional testing may be required at the time of collection and thereafter to meet compliance with state and federal law. 

Multiple samples may be required to achieve one or more pregnancies. We suggest at least 2 days of abstinence (from ejaculation) between visits, if possible.

Reproductive Options When Facing Cancer

Our aim at Strong Fertility Center is to provide the knowledge and expertise necessary for you to make the best decisions to defeat your cancer and achieve your personal fertility goals.

Although many of the treatments that help fight cancer also affect the ability to have children, there are now ways to protect your fertility. We will work with your oncologist to offer counseling, fertility prognosis, and fertility preservation options that consider your individual circumstances before and after therapy.

• Evaluation and counseling: Meet with our experts before and after treatments to discuss personalized fertility goals and prognosis based on individual characteristics such as age, cancer diagnosis, and cancer treatment regimen.
• Testing your fertility: Certain blood tests, imaging studies, and a semen analysis can be used to assess your fertility potential.

For Individuals with Ovaries

Before treatment:

• Embryo freezing: Eggs are matured with the use of injectable hormones, removed, fertilized in-vitro (outside the body) with sperm, frozen, and stored.
• Egg freezing: Eggs are matured with the use of injectable hormones, removed, frozen, and stored without being fertilized.
• Ovarian suppression: Medications administered during cancer treatment to protect the ovaries and reduce the risk of infertility.
• Ovarian transposition: Surgically displacing the ovaries prior to radiation therapy to minimize damage.

After treatment:

• Ovulation induction and assisted reproductive technologies: Eggs are matured with the use of oral or injectable medications, and then fertilized in the body or removed and fertilized outside the body (in-vitro) with sperm; resulting embryos are then transferred to the patient or frozen and stored.
• Egg donation: Eggs from a comprehensively screened donor are matured, removed, and fertilized using sperm outside the body; resulting embryos are then transferred to the patient who will carry the pregnancy.

For Individuals with Testes

Before treatment:

• Sperm banking: Semen is collected, frozen, and stored.
• Percutaneous sperm aspiration (PESA): Sperm are obtained through a needle aspiration of the epididymis, or storage area, outside the testis.
• Testicular sperm extraction: Testicular tissue is obtained through an open biopsy and sperm cells are isolated, frozen, and stored.
• Testicular tissue freezing: Testicular tissue, including the cells that produce sperm, is removed, frozen, and stored.

After treatment:

• Intrauterine insemination (IUI): Use of a small catheter to place concentrated sperm within the uterus of the female partner can be used to overcome slightly diminished semen quantity or quality.
• Assisted reproductive technologies: In-vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) can be used to fertilize eggs that are matured and removed from your partner, using even just a few sperm.
• Donor sperm: Sperm from a comprehensively screened donor can be used for insemination or assisted reproductive technologies.