Faced with a cancer diagnosis, your future and your dreams of starting a family may seem uncertain. We understand these concerns and offer solutions to help you preserve your fertility after you have recovered from cancer.
Oncofertility is a field of medicine that enables people with cancer to preserve their fertility. Modern cancer treatments, whilst effective, often carry the risk of losing the ability to have children. Any type of cancer treatment can cause temporary or permanent damage to fertility, affecting both women and men.
Oncofertility involves not only selecting the most effective methods for preserving fertility in cancer patients, but also the safe collection, preservation and storage of biological material until the cancer has been brought under control.
A cancer diagnosis is a huge challenge, and fertility issues often take a back seat. However, the decision to preserve reproductive material before starting cancer treatment can be of crucial importance for the future. Even if you are not currently planning to have children, your outlook may change over time.
The possibility of losing your fertility as a result of cancer treatment does not mean you have to give up your dreams of becoming a biological parent. Freezing eggs, sperm or embryos is a safe technique for preserving fertility before radiotherapy or chemotherapy, which will give you the chance to use them in the future.
Is it possible to start a family after treatment has finished?
Can you have children after treatment?
Will the treatment affect the child’s health?
We can provide you with the answers
Methods of preserving fertility in women:
Male fertility preservation methods:
Fertility preservation methods for children/adolescents:
At our Clinic, cancer patients are looked after by an Oncofertility coordinator, who supports them at every stage of the fertility preservation process. Their role is not only to provide all the necessary information, but also to offer organisational and expert support.
At INVICTA Clinics, patients who wish to preserve their fertility before starting cancer treatment are given the highest priority. Once a treatment plan has been agreed with their doctor, men can preserve their fertility within 1–2 days, whilst women can do so within 2–3 weeks.
We carry out thousands of procedures involving the freezing and thawing of biological material every year, and we do this so effectively that our successful thawing rate exceeds 95 per cent. We performed our first ovarian tissue freezing procedures back in 2009.
The effectiveness of fertility preservation methods in cancer patients is measured by the birth rate. At our clinic, this stands at 20–50 per cent, with the patient’s age and the type of cancer she has had playing a key role.
Once you have received your diagnosis, the first step is to obtain a referral from your oncologist for a fertility preservation procedure (Oncofertility). This is a crucial document which not only enables the whole process to begin, but also allows the fertility specialist to select the safest and most suitable method of fertility preservation, tailored to your situation.
The second step in the fertility preservation process for patients is to contact our Clinic. We will assign you a dedicated coordinator, and your procedure will be expedited as much as possible.
To ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible, your Oncofertility coordinator will contact you to verify that you meet the eligibility criteria for the government programme and will help you compile the required documentation. You will also receive a referral for infectious disease tests – please have these carried out as soon as possible.
A dedicated fertility specialist will thoroughly analyse your case and, taking into account your planned treatment, select the most appropriate method for preserving fertility whilst undergoing cancer treatment. It is crucial to determine how the material will be collected, transferred to the laboratory for freezing, and safely stored at the Gamete Bank.
The action plan for fertility preservation is drawn up by a team comprising at least the oncologist managing your cancer treatment, a gynaecologist specialising in fertility preservation, and an embryologist. Depending on individual needs, a psychologist and a geneticist may also be invited to collaborate.
Once an individual medical plan has been agreed, the Oncofertility coordinator will discuss the formal and organisational details with you.
Once the medical assessment is complete, it is time to carry out the procedure to collect biological material. The duration of this process depends on your gender and the chosen method. For men, this usually takes 1–2 days; for women, 2–3 weeks.
The collected material is then processed in a specialist laboratory, where it is frozen in liquid nitrogen. The material prepared in this way is stored until you decide to use it.
Once your cancer treatment has finished, you can contact us at any time and, under the National Health Fund (NFZ), undergo the in vitro fertilisation process free of charge using gametes from your partner or a donor.
Cancer patients, both those who have preserved their fertility and all others planning to start a family, have access to a wide range of specialist procedures and treatments. These include assisted reproductive technologies (ART), programmes for the donation of embryos, donor oocytes and donor sperm, pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT), in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes, and other methods from the field of complementary and alternative medicine.
The role of the coordinator at INVICTA is to provide the patient with all the necessary organisational and financial information and to guide them through the entire fertility preservation process. This includes both logistical matters and the transfer of samples to the laboratory and the bank. They organise contact with the fertility specialist and liaise with the oncologist, embryologist and, if necessary, a geneticist and psychologist.
And once your cancer treatment has finished and you are ready, the same coordinator will help you organise the process of using the material preserved as part of the Oncofertility project.
It’s very simple! Contact us via our helpline or the enquiry form, and we’ll guide you through the next steps.
A dedicated coordinator will look after you and arrange a consultation with a doctor at the earliest possible date.
Your treating doctor will carefully analyse your case and suggest the best method for preserving your fertility, taking into account your planned treatment. During your appointment, you’ll also receive answers to any questions you may have about the entire Oncofertility process.
Please remember to bring a completed paper referral from your oncologist to your consultation.
Our patients’ stories
On 1 June 2024, a government-funded IVF reimbursement scheme was launched in Poland, aimed at providing free access to IVF treatment for couples undergoing fertility treatment and at safeguarding future fertility for cancer patients.
Patients who are about to undergo or are currently undergoing cancer treatment that may impair their fertility are eligible for the programme:
To take part in the programme, a completed paper referral from an oncologist is required (template available for download).
Find out about the fertility preservation scheme for under-18 cancer patients.
Semen freezing*
Includes:
• general semen analysis,
• pre-treatment consultation/assessment with a medical report,
• preparation of semen for freezing and the freezing process,
• storage of semen in liquid nitrogen,
• infectious disease tests required prior to freezing.
Storage of frozen semen until the age of 26 and coordination appointments with the Oncofertility coordinator are included in the price of the package.
Semen freezing from a testicular biopsy
Includes:
• a consultation to assess eligibility for a biopsy and sperm freezing (including a medical certificate),
• an anaesthetist’s consultation, tests required for the administration of anaesthesia, and infectious disease tests required for sperm storage,
• collection of material from the testicles and epididymis under anaesthesia,
• freezing of the material,
• one year’s storage.
Additional charges:
• a charge for special semen preparation in the event of a positive infection test result;
• an alternative charge for semen storage during the waiting period in the absence of infection tests.
*programmes funded by the Ministry of Health
Egg freezing*
Includes:
• medical assessment and pre-screening laboratory tests, including tests for infectious diseases,
• anaesthetic assessment and tests,
• a medical assessment prior to the start of pharmacological ovulation stimulation,
• ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval under anaesthesia,
• preparation of oocytes for freezing,
• freezing of oocytes,
• storage of oocytes in liquid nitrogen.
Embryo freezing*
Includes:
• medical assessment and qualifying laboratory tests, including screening for infectious diseases,
• anaesthesiological assessment for anaesthesia and related tests,
• a medical assessment of health status prior to the commencement of pharmacological ovulation stimulation,
• ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval under anaesthesia,
• preparation of the eggs and their fertilisation,
• recovery and freezing of embryos,
• storage of frozen embryos.
Freezing of ovarian tissue
The process involves preparing the ovarian tissue for freezing, as well as the freezing and storage of the tissue itself. Infectious disease screening must be carried out in each case.
*programmes funded by the Ministry of Health
Yes, thanks to advances in the field of oncofertility, there are fertility preservation methods that can increase the chances of having children after cancer treatment has finished. These methods include the freezing of eggs, sperm, embryos, and ovarian and testicular tissue.
The choice of fertility preservation method depends primarily on: age, diagnosis, the type of treatment planned, state of health, whether the patient has a long-term partner, and the patient’s wishes.
The choice of fertility preservation method depends on what is in the patient’s best interests. The decision is made on the basis of medical indications, general health, the time available before the start of cancer treatment, and the feasibility of obtaining material for freezing.
The final decision regarding the choice of fertility preservation procedure for oncological reasons always rests with the patient, and in the case of minors, also with their legal guardians.
Oncofertility treatments are available to patients of any gender and age (children and adults) who are undergoing cancer treatment that may adversely affect their fertility.
Patient eligibility for the Oncofertility programme takes into account a number of factors, such as the type and stage of the cancer and the planned cancer treatment. A team of specialists carefully assesses the available options and recommends the best solutions.
Methods of preserving fertility in women include the freezing of mature eggs, the freezing of embryos, and the freezing of ovarian tissue. In some cases, it is also possible to use techniques such as ovarian transposition or the use of GnRH analogues.
Men can preserve their fertility by freezing sperm obtained from ejaculate. In cases where sperm cannot be obtained through masturbation, a testicular biopsy can be performed to obtain it. Testicular tissue can also be frozen to preserve male fertility.
Children who have not yet reached puberty can also benefit from oncofertility methods. In girls, it is possible to freeze ovarian tissue, whilst in boys, testicular tissue can be frozen. Freezing ovarian tissue is a recognised and widely used method, whilst freezing testicular tissue, particularly in boys before puberty, remains an experimental method.
