My partner and I went for a fertility appointment yesterday to talk about options available to us. Basically we are looking at freezing embryo’s. I have IDC, grade 3, don’t know my lymph node involvement yet - have a second WLE and SLNB next wednesday. Chemo is definately in my near future and the possibility of not having the option of a family in the future is probably the worst thing about this whole situation for me - assuming I don’t die obviously!
Consultant has written a letter to request funding for us but basically said we should assume we are paying for it until we hear anything different. With the time scales we definately won’t know about funding until after we have the treatment. He said about £4000 - which thankfully we do have. I just wanted to ask anyone elses experience re funding? We are in Berkshire - has anyone else asked for and received funding for this sort of situation?
The money is worth it but obviously we would rather have funding!
I don’t know - just another hurdle in cancer world. Need to get through surgery, chemo, radiotherapy, tamoxifen (maybe even Hercepten if I’m lucky!) before thinking about kids… but I so want the option to be open.
Hi,
I was single when I was diagnosed, and was told that I was very unlikely to get funding for freezing eggs. However, the fertility consultant I was referred to was great. I saw him just after my reconstruction op, and there was a short window to get the treatment in before chemo. I saw him on the Friday, he said to think about it over the weekend, I them e-mailed him on Monday, he had secured funding by Wednesday and I had my first scan on the Thursday.
I am in Nottingham, and this was 2 years ago, I don’t know if things have changed since, I think budgets have got tighter, but as you are in a stable relationship that is a plus point.
Do you know if your tumour is definitely hormone positive (as you mentioned tamoxifen)?, as sometimes they will not recommend fertility treatment in this case as the hormones may affect the cancer (mine was triple negative)
My periods stopped for about 10 weeks at the end of chemo, and I have been told there is no reason to not believe I am not fertile.
Fingers crossed for your funding. If there is any questions you have about the process of egg harvesting please feel free to message me.
Jen
I am 29 from the manchester area. Due to the bc my husband and I were offered embryo freezing and the consultant said she would need to make a request to my local PCT but she said there shouldnt be an issue and it would be paid via NHS.
It all went ahead and there was no mention of issues!! Unfortunately it was unsuccessful and I have had to start chemo treatment so i am conserned re the future.
Jenx
Have you looked into ovarian tissue storage? I seem to remember at the time I was researching it (it was an issue with me) that it looked as if it would be more successful than IVF. The Hammersmith in London seems to offer it for ‘research’ purposes. There is a lot to be said for getting in touch with a teaching hospital - including bigger budgets and newer treatments. There are no guarantees of success unfortunately, but at the very least you’d be helping the next generation of women. But - and this is not a criticism of the NHS - every health care system in the world seems to be the same, you’ll probably need to do a lot of research and pushing yourself. Consultants are only human and may only be experts in their own area. Your oncologist cares about keeping you alive but only you know how much you want children and how far you’ll go in order to give yourself every chance. I’d say don’t take his/her word as gospel - get second opinions, referrals until you’re satisfied that you’ve given yourself the best chance - without risking your chances of survival. As my oncologist said, there are other options, including adoption (a friend of mine has done that very successfully) and adoption. I hope this helps, if only a little.
Hiya,
I am in Cambridgeshire and i had embryos frozen prior to my chemo. My BCN and GP sorted it for me and there was no question re: funding. I didnt have to pay anything (neither myself or my partner had children previously). My cancer is ER +ve but they put me on letrazole though out the IVF treatment.
I am lucky enough to now have 7 embryos frozen and the only thing i need to pay for is the freezer fee to keep the embryos frozen. Which is a couple of hundred i think.
My periods did stop after cycle 5 of chemo, but they have already come back. 10 weeks post chemo so i am now going on hormone treatment. (my embryos are my back up plan).
I really do hope if you decide to go ahead you get the funding, as i realise its a lot of money.
Good Luck
Rae
x
Thankyou everyone for the replies - encouraging to hear that others have not had any issues. The consultant has written to the PCT to request funding and said he hoped they would fund it - but he didn’t seem to think we would get a decision in time. Fingers crossed he is wrong. The BCN’s were no help at all - just said my GP may be able to tell me more. I am actually seeing the Nurse at my GP surgery for a cervical screening tomorrow (lucky me!) so I think I will mention it then and see if I can speak to my GP or arrange for him to call my. I love my GP - so hopefully he will be able to help in some way :o/
Called the Fertility consultants secretary today and said we wanted to go ahead - now full of worries that my cancer will have spread all over the place and the IVF will be pointless. Have to try to think a bit more positive!
I have spoken to the BCN about Zoladex and she said it would be an option - I am yet to meet my oncologist but I will be making it clear how important the fertility side of this is to us.
Squeak - defo hormone positive 6/8. Don’t know the HER2 status yet. Have already raised the idea of coming off Tamoxifen early and BCN didn’t recoil in horror so I’m taking that as a positive ;o)
Jenx - so sorry you’re wasn’t successful. I’m thinking positive thoughts for you re the natural route.
Poddle - all that I have read seems to just say ovarian storage is very experimental and very few successful nbirths? I’d kind of dismissed it because of that.
Rae - I thought of you as I wrote this post. So glad you have your back up plan - but here’s hoping you won’t need it!
Sorry for all the typo’s - don’t know what is wrong with me.
…and when I say I love my GP - I just mean he is a very nice man and we are on the same wave-length… not that I actually LOVE him!!