Before cancer treatment · Time sensitive
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can reduce or end ovarian function, sometimes permanently. Egg freezing beforehand needs around two weeks, and whether that window exists is your oncologist's call. Here is what is involved, so you can ask the right question quickly.
Being told you need cancer treatment leaves very little room for anything else. But fertility is one of the few things that has to be decided before treatment begins rather than after, and the window is usually measured in days. This page exists so you can work out quickly whether it applies to you.
Chemotherapy, particularly alkylating agents, and radiotherapy to the pelvis can reduce the number of eggs remaining in the ovaries, in some cases to the point of early menopause. How much depends on the drug, the dose, the field of radiation and your age at treatment. There is no dependable way to know in advance how your ovaries will respond.
Unlike sperm, eggs cannot be collected on the day. Collection needs around ten to fourteen days of hormone injections first, which is why this decision cannot wait until treatment is under way.
Standard protocols used to require waiting for the start of your next cycle, which could add another fortnight. That is no longer the case. Random start protocols, developed largely for exactly this situation, allow stimulation to begin at almost any point in the cycle. It is worth asking about, because it is the difference between having a window and not having one.
Where there genuinely is not time, ovarian tissue freezing is a surgical option some centres offer, and it is something to raise with your oncology team rather than with us. We would rather point you to the right conversation than pretend to be the answer to every situation.
Stimulation raises oestrogen levels, which is an obvious concern with breast and some gynaecological cancers. Protocols exist that keep those levels substantially lower during the cycle, and they are well established. Whether one is appropriate for you is a decision for your oncologist and the treating fertility specialist together. Raise it early, because it affects the plan rather than being a detail at the end.
We handle the preservation and the storage. The retrieval itself is performed at a licensed partner IVF centre, because that is a treatment procedure and we do not provide treatment of any kind. We own your sample, your record and your storage, not your future clinic.
That structure matters more here than anywhere. A clinic that sells IVF has a reason to want your eggs stored with it. We do not, so when you are ready to use them, they can move to any clinic in India or abroad, on your decision and nobody else's.
Price is discussed openly on the first call, before you commit to anything. You will be told what is included and what is not, and the storage terms before anything is frozen rather than afterwards. For cancer cases we do not let the cost question slow the planning down.
For the wider picture, read about fertility preservation before cancer treatment, the standard egg freezing service, or the egg freezing process and timeline step by step. If this is about a partner, son or brother, see sperm freezing before cancer treatment, which is usually possible in a day or two.
Around two weeks from start to retrieval. That covers roughly ten to fourteen days of hormone injections with monitoring scans, then a short day procedure for the retrieval itself. Whether that window exists is a decision for your oncologist.
Ask about random start protocols, which allow stimulation to begin at almost any point in your cycle rather than waiting for the next one. They were developed largely for this situation and can be the difference between having a window and not having one.
It should not, and we never ask anyone to delay care. Your oncology team decides whether there is room before treatment starts, and we work to the date they give us.
Stimulation raises oestrogen levels, and protocols exist that keep those levels substantially lower during the cycle. Whether one suits you is a decision for your oncologist and the treating fertility specialist together, so raise it early rather than late.
Ovarian tissue freezing is a surgical option that some centres offer when there is no time for a stimulation cycle. It is a conversation for your oncology team rather than for us, and we would rather point you to it than pretend every situation has the same answer.
The retrieval is carried out at a licensed partner IVF centre, because it is a treatment procedure and Cell Mate does not provide treatment. We handle the freezing, the storage and your record, and the eggs can later be moved to any clinic you choose.
Eggs can be stored for many years without deterioration, because at cryogenic temperature biological activity effectively stops. Storage is renewed annually and you can transfer or discontinue it whenever you choose.
Price is discussed openly on the first call, including what is covered and what is not, and the storage terms are explained before anything is frozen. For cancer cases we do not let the cost question hold up the planning.
Two weeks is not long, and the window closes once treatment begins. A short call tells you whether this applies to you. No pressure, and no commitment at any stage.
Call +91 98181 56283 →Cell Mate provides fertility preservation (egg and sperm freezing) and diagnostic testing only, not IVF or fertility treatment. Egg retrieval, where required, is performed by a licensed Level-2 ART/IVF partner. This page is general information, not medical advice. Cell Mate is a registered ART bank under the ART (Regulation) Act, 2021.
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