[:en]Walk with Us to Support Breast Cancer and Fertility Preservation[:]

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[:en]You’re invited to join the Reproductive Partners – UCSD fertility team as we walk with thousands of other San Diegans in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure November 3, in Balboa Park. The walk raises funds and awareness in the ongoing fight against breast cancer. Sign up on our Komen team page to enter the race, and order your complimentary T-shirt by calling our office at (858) 552-9177 or emailing us at info@ucsandiegofertility.com. Reproductive Partners is reimbursing all patients and their walking partners for entry fee costs.

We’re doing this to support the many cancer patients who turn to Reproductive Partners for help in preserving their fertility before undergoing potentially damaging treatments. Fertility Preservation – freezing a patient’s eggs or embryos – gives these women the option of pursuing In Vitro Fertilization years later when they’ve regained their health and are cancer-free.

Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery can have devastating effects on a woman’s eggs. Cancer treatment often leads to infertility. Every year, more than 70,000 new cancers are diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 39.

“Most of these cancer patients will survive the disease and go on to lead normal lives,” said Reproductive Partner’s Dr. Irene Su, who is also Assistant Professor of Reproductive Medicine at UC San Diego. “ If they are considering having families sometime in the future, freezing their eggs or embryos before starting cancer treatment is a good way to preserve their range of options.”

Dr. Su works with younger cancer patients from across the county—from teenagers to women in their early forties. Fertility preservation, however, is an expensive process, even with the financial aid some organizations offer. To make the process more affordable, a special preservation fund, originally set up to help breast cancer patients has now been expanded to offer assistance to all young cancer patients whose fertility is at risk. Named after the founder and initial donor, it’s called the McGrath Family Fertility Preservation Fund.

The UC San Diego Health System manages the fund. To donate, find the link at https://ucsandiegofertility.com[:]