Doctors in the UAE Urge Patients Expecting To Undergo Cancer Treatment to Freeze Their Eggs
Shaheennews -Dubai, United Arab Emirates – [ AETOS Wire ]
Cancer can take an emotional toll on patient’s mental and physical health, and the aggressive treatment that follows has the potential to cause several side-effects, including infertility, according to fertility experts in the region.
“Cancer treatment can have devastating effects for women’s future fertility. They can not only damage the eggs in the ovaries, but also hamper the production of eggs over time. As such it is important that women who are likely to undergo cancer treatment consider the option to freeze their eggs to increase their chances of fertility,” said Dr Michael Fakih, Founder and Consultant in Reproductive Endocrinology and IVF at Fakih IVF Fertility Center.
The most common types of treatments that affect fertility include surgery that involves removal of the reproductive organs, certain types of chemotherapy and radiation to the abdomen and pelvis. It has been observed that some people might be temporarily infertile while others may have permanent infertility.
In the UAE, egg freezing has witnessed a staggering increase, with the government permitting women expecting to undergo chemotherapy or medical treatment.
Egg freezing is a procedure that stills the ageing process of the eggs, preserving their quality and thus improving a woman’s fertility chances at a later stage of her life. A cancer patient receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy for who preservation of fertility is essential may potentially benefit from egg freezing. Others include women who need to have their ovaries removed such as women who are carriers of genetic markers for cancer in order to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
“Medical science has advanced drastically, and while most women understand that there are ways to preserve fertility, there are some who are either not aware of egg freezing or they believe it is too expensive or are not even thinking about it. It is important that patients talk to doctors about their fertility concerns as early as possible in the course of diagnosis and definitely before they start treatment for cancer. The earlier the conversation, the more options they have to decide to pursue fertility preservation treatment,” said Mrs. Wafa El Ali, Deputy CEO of Fakih IVF Fertility Center, the leading fertility services provider in the Middle East region.
To ensure patients expecting to undergo cancer treatment have full access to right information on preserving their fertility, Fakih IVF Fertility Center will be offering all new patients 10 percent discount on egg freezing packages in addition to free consultation during the month of October.
