Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/329829
Health and Wellness Magazine • 47 steep oBstacles prevail Although the problem has gained some recognition, with guiding organizations such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommending all cancer patients receive fertility counseling before treatment, a number of obstacles are still hindering progress. A chief one: cancer experts' engrained goal of saving lives. "When patients are diagnosed with cancer, they are directed to oncologists, who are so focused on saving the person's life — and rightly so — that fertility is not a priority," Schoolcraft says. Years back, when survival rates for the types of cancers that strike reproductive- aged patients were poor, it wasn't as much of an issue, he says. But those numbers have turned, and patients are often living for many years past cancer diagnoses and wanting to start families. "And then it's like: BAM!" says Dr. Ryan Riggs of Conceptions Reproductive Associates of Colorado. "They find out the chemo impacted their fertility, and they can't conceive." After already going through a cancer crisis, facing another unexpected life-altering blow can be devastating, says Riggs, whose practice has launched outreach efforts with Swedish and Sky Ridge medical centers and others to combat the problem. The need for haste in treating cancer creates another barrier, with both oncologists and patients wanting fast treatment, Riggs says. "The first thing patients think about after receiving a cancer diagnosis? 'Just take it out,' " Riggs says. While prompt treatment is important, many patients and doctors are still in the dark about advancements in the fertility field, which have speeded the process for cancer patients and made options more viable and thus worthwhile. For fertility doctors, telling a woman she cannot have a baby that's genetically her own always tops their list of worst things to do. But when that woman recently faced down cancer in her prime and was never told that her life-saving treatment could steal her fertility, the task of delivering that dream-crushing news becomes even more daunting. It's a scenario that plays out all too often in fertility clinics across the country, as more cancer patients are surviving the disease, but a significant number are not being counseled on today's advanced fertility-preserving techniques. In response, some HealthONE doctors are working to build communication bridges between oncologists and fertility experts to encourage pre-treatment counseling and save more patients' parenthood dreams. "Chemotherapy essentially destroys women's egg quality," says Dr. William Schoolcraft, founder of the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, who recently teamed up with Sky Ridge Medical Center to educate breast cancer patients about their fertility options. "Sometimes, it completely throws women into menopause," he says, the likelihood of which depends on age and the amount and type of drugs used. "In some cases, radiation can do that as well. It depends on where the treatment is targeted." Fertility issues plague as many as half of all cancer patients, men included, Schoolcraft says. Fertility specialists Dr. William Schoolcraft, left, and Dr. Ryan Riggs, right, are expanding efforts to reach young cancer patients before treatment, which can leave them infertile. DiD you know? some insurance companies will cover fertility-preservation procedures for cancer patients. and many clinics, including conceptions and the colorado center for reproductive medicine, work with financial assistance programs (such as Fertile Hope, a program of livestrong) to help patients cover often already-reduced costs. Photo by Bill Youmans