Fertility Preservation Before Cancer Treatment: Your Options and How Quickly You Can Start

A cancer diagnosis brings a lot at once, and thinking about building a family someday may feel like one more thing to handle. A quick conversation with a fertility specialist now can protect your options for later, and that conversation can happen fast.

At Fertility and Surgical Associates of California (FSAC), we prioritize people who need to preserve eggs, embryos, or sperm before starting cancer treatment that may affect fertility. Our team moves quickly so you can protect your future family-building options while staying focused on the care you need now.

How Cancer Treatment Can Affect Fertility

Some chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and hormone therapy can affect egg or sperm supply and the reproductive organs. The effect depends on the type, dose, and location of treatment, along with your diagnosis and your age.

Fertility preservation means saving eggs, embryos, sperm, or ovarian tissue before treatment begins, so your family-building options stay open for the future.

Talking with a fertility specialist soon after a cancer diagnosis, or any diagnosis whose treatment may affect fertility, is a common, recommended step. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) encourages talking with a doctor about fertility preservation as early as possible, and that conversation does not have to slow down your cancer care.

Fertility Preservation Options for People With Cancer

Every fertility preservation plan at FSAC is built in close consultation with your cancer doctors, so your oncology care stays the priority. Oncofertility care brings both teams together around four main options, egg freezing, embryo freezing, sperm freezing, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation, each suited to different timelines and situations, according to ASRM. Once frozen, your eggs, embryos, or sperm can be stored for years or even decades, and FSAC partners with CryoFuture for secure long-term storage.

Egg Freezing

Egg freezing will involve about 10 to 12 days of self-administered hormone injections, followed by a short retrieval procedure, usually 15 to 30 minutes, under light sedation. Your FSAC team will work with your oncologist to build an egg freezing for fertility preservation plan suited to your diagnosis and treatment schedule.

Embryo Freezing

If you have a partner or plan to use donor sperm, embryo freezing may be an option. Your eggs will be retrieved the same way, then fertilized in our lab through in vitro fertilization (IVF) before freezing. The process takes about two to three weeks, according to ASRM, so your team will confirm the timing fits your treatment plan.

Sperm Freezing

Sperm freezing is the fastest preservation option. According to ASRM’s guidance on cancer and its impact on sperm, sperm should be banked as soon as possible, ideally before treatment begins.

Collection is simple, and you may be asked to provide more than one sample to give you more options later. If no sperm are present in a sample, or if collecting a sample is not possible, sperm can be retrieved surgically.

Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is a surgical option in which a surgeon removes and freezes a small piece of ovarian tissue, which can later be reimplanted. Ovarian tissue freezing may be an option if you cannot delay cancer treatment for egg retrieval.

For children and teens, ovarian tissue freezing is still considered experimental, though the procedure offers hope for future fertility. Tissue freezing is not recommended for ovarian cancer or cancers that can spread to the ovaries, and your doctor will explain whether this option fits your situation.

How Quickly Fertility Preservation Can Start

Speed is one of FSAC’s strengths. We offer same-day egg freezing consultations for people newly diagnosed with cancer, and we fast-track the preservation process so you can move on to your cancer treatment quickly.

Your fertility team and oncology team will coordinate timing, so preservation fits around your treatment calendar. With about 10 to 12 days of injections followed by retrieval, many people can complete egg freezing in about two weeks, and sperm freezing can often happen even sooner.

Your calendar can shift based on how your body responds to medication, and you may be asked to come in on short notice for monitoring. Our team will keep you updated at each step.

Does Insurance Cover Fertility Preservation in California?

There’s good news on coverage. Under California’s SB 600, signed in 2019, health plans regulated in California must cover standard fertility preservation services when a covered medical treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation, may cause infertility. California’s SB 729, in effect since January 1, 2026, also expanded infertility coverage for fully insured, large-group plans regulated in California.

Self-funded employer plans may not follow state law, so our billing team will help you check your benefits. For any costs not covered, financing through PatientFi is available. Manufacturer savings programs can also help lower the cost of fertility medication.

You may also qualify for support through Livestrong Fertility, which offers eligible people with cancer discounts of at least 25% on preservation services at partner clinics, along with free stimulation medication through a partnership with EMD Serono.

Questions to Ask Before Cancer Treatment Begins

Bringing a few questions to your fertility and oncology teams can help you feel prepared and in control. Consider asking:

• How might my treatment plan affect my fertility?
• Which preservation option fits my timeline?
• How quickly can I start?
• How will my fertility team coordinate with my oncologist?
• How does my insurance cover fertility preservation?
• How long can frozen eggs, embryos, or sperm be stored?

Facing cancer takes so much strength, and you don’t have to plan for your future family alone. We’re here for you every step of the way.

Call FSAC for a Prompt Fertility Preservation Consultation

Whether you’re newly diagnosed or helping a loved one through treatment, contact FSAC for a prompt consultation at our Thousand Oaks, Encino, or Santa Monica office, or by telehealth. Our team will listen, answer your questions, and help you understand your options right away.