Fertility Preservation Network Welcomes California Facility
ReproTech, Ltd., the leading cryobank specializing in long-term storage of human reproductive tissue (sperm, eggs, embryos and ovarian and testicular tissue), has reached an agreement with Coastal Fertility Medical Center in Irvine, CA.
Coastal Fertility Medical Center joins the more than 100 facilities included in ReproTech’s Fertility Preservation Network. The growing network of fertility centers provides much needed fertility preservation services to cancer patients prior to the initiation of oncology treatments.
“With the growing success of cancer therapies and tremendous advancements in fertility treatment, cancer survivors today have an excellent chance of having families provided they are given the opportunity to cryopreserve reproductive tissue prior to their oncology treatment,” says Brent Hazelrigg, president and CEO of ReproTech, Ltd.
According to the American Cancer Society, 140,000 men and women of childbearing age are newly diagnosed with cancer each year. There often is a small window of time for them to preserve their fertility; therefore, access to cryopreservation services is extremely important. Both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommend the education of oncology patients about the options available to preserve their fertility. In 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy encouraging coverage by all insurance providers of fertility preservation therapies for patients requiring cancer treatments that result in infertility.
ReproTech, Ltd. has organized the Fertility Preservation Network to educate oncology professionals and caretakers, as well as provide much needed cryopreservation services. The Network now includes members in 36 states and the Caribbean. Additionally, the work of LIVESTRONG and its Fertility Discount Program has advanced the awareness of the need for fertility preservation among the oncology community.