October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. West Coast Fertility Centers encourage all young breast cancer patients who want to have children in the future discuss fertility preservation by egg freezing with their oncologists.
The gonadotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs are known to potentially lead to infertility due to chromosomal effects in the oocyte (eggs). By harvesting and freezing before the start of cancer treatment, the unfertilized oocytes can be stored indefinitely and thawed when clearance is given to attempt pregnancy. This is especially important in young, single females interested in having their own biologic child.
Frozen Egg Bank, Inc. in affiliation with West Coast Fertility Centers offer egg freezing to young patients who have been unfortunately diagnosed with cancer. The advanced LANDA Technology developed at our Center has yielded nearly 70 live baby births from egg freezing. Dr. David Diaz and staff held the World’s First Reunion of Babies Born from Frozen Eggs this past Saturday, October 15, 2011, to celebrate the pioneering families and their babies conceived from thawed frozen eggs.
-Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, aside from skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States this year. An estimated 40,170 women are expected to die from the disease in 2009 alone. Today, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States.
-The first NBCAM program took place in October 1985 as a week-long event to fill the information void in public communication about breast cancer. The founding members of the Board of Sponsors which includes the American Academy of Family Physicians, AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation and CancerCare, Inc., distributed brochures, spoke to news reporters, and testified before a U.S. Congressional committee about the crucial need for widespread access to mammography.
-Today the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) organization is comprised of several national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working in partnership to build breast cancer awareness, share information and provide access to screening services.
-October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, however, at NBCAM, breast cancer awareness and education is a year-round mission.
