IVF Grants for Cancer Survivors
IVF grants for cancer survivors and patients support them in their quest to preserve fertility and have a baby. The grants allow patients to explore various treatment options that can help fulfill the dream of having a family even after cancer.
Certain cancer surgeries or treatments can result in the removal of organs that are required for a pregnancy. Changes in hormone levels can potentially damage a female’s eggs.
The cancer effects can also cause permanent or temporary fertility issues in females. In such cases, some women choose to undergo In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatments that might help preserve their fertility.
These reproductive services often include high costs. Therefore, IVF grants are offered to cancer survivors to eliminate such barriers and have children after treatment.
IVF Grants for Cancer Survivors – Fertility Preservation and Treatments
To treat several kinds of cancer, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are done. However, these effective treatments can cause fertility issues.
Therefore to lower the risk of complications, oncologists might:
- Reduce radiation dosage to reduce reproductive side effects
- Shield reproductive organs from unnecessary radiation exposure
- Substitute less-toxic chemotherapy medications, which don’t include classic alkylating agents
- Recommend alternative treatments to preserve fertility
Women and men can conceive a child after cancer treatment by preserving their options before treatment.
Also, before trying pregnancy, it has been recommended to wait for at least six months to a year after completing cancer treatment. It reduces the risk of congenital disabilities.
Fertility Preservation for Women
Egg and embryo freezing are popular options for preserving fertility before any cancer treatment is performed. Women who choose embryo freezing can have embryos (fertilized eggs) implanted safely through frozen embryo transfer once they complete their cancer treatment.
Frozen embryos are not typically tested for genetic risk for cancers before implantation unless there’s a known hereditary cancer risk factor.
Patients who choose egg freezing do not require fertilization before freezing; eggs are frozen unfertilized.
Gestational surrogacy might be a viable option for women who have been surgically treated for cervical cancer or have other complications preventing them from carrying a pregnancy.
In this procedure, the patient’s embryo is transferred to another woman who will carry the pregnancy for her.
Fertility Preservation for Girls
Girls who have not entered puberty can benefit from ovarian tissue freezing as an option for fertility preservation despite being too young for egg or embryo freezing. However, ovarian tissue freezing is an option.
The tissue contains many eggs that can be prevented from being damaged during the freezing and thawing.
After completing the treatment and once the patient reaches the age where she wants to start a family, she can have her frozen ovary tissue transplanted to conceive naturally or through IVF.
Fertility Treatments for Boys and Men with Cancer
Freezing sperm or sperm banking is a well-known preservation method for men of reproductive age. The sperm can be collected through ejaculation or surgical methods if natural collection isn’t possible.
For prepubescent boys who are too young to produce sperm via ejaculation, testicular tissue freezing may be an option, as electroejaculation typically requires the onset of puberty.
Electroejaculation uses a rectal probe to stimulate ejaculation under anesthesia, which is generally considered safe. In some cases, surgery is performed to retrieve sperm directly from the testicles.
IVF Grants for Cancer Patients – Reduce the Cost of Treatment
Though sperm preservation can be affordable, egg and embryo freezing are way more expensive. Egg freezing can cost around $6,000 to $7,000, and embryo freezing costs over $10,000.
There are insurance plans for health care; however, most do not cover these treatments. Thankfully, there are IVF grants for cancer survivors that reduce the costs of procedures to a great extent.
1. Bonei Olam
Bonei Olam assists with large-scale funding for all aspects of infertility-related treatments. There is a Pre-Cancer and Post-Cancer program that offers financial assistance. It helps individuals get the necessary treatment to build a family. For more information, visit https://www.boneiolam.org/
2. Livestrong Fertility
Livestrong Fertility provides a financial assistance program for new cancer-diagnosed men and women. These programs help in offsetting the costs of sperm banking, egg freezing, and embryo freezing. Also, they collaborate with fertility clinics nationwide, all of which have pledged to offer a minimum 25% discount on their services to eligible patients.
3. Team Maggie for a Cure
Team Maggie for a Cure offers grants to uninsured or underinsured teens and young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer. The grant amount of up to $2,500 is awarded to United States residents to preserve eggs and sperm.
It is a nonprofit organization that offers financial assistance for fertility preservation expenses.
4. The International Council for Infertility Information Dissemination (INCIID)
The INCIID provides IVF scholarships to individuals and couples in need. The scholarships are reviewed every month and deadlines are the last working day of every month.
The program covers most of the IVF expenses. INCIID arranges several IVF clinics in the United States. The patients can get financial resources from these clinics and fulfill their dream of building a family.
5. The National Adoption Foundation(NAF)
The NAF offers grants to help with adoption costs. Besides, there are innovative, nontraditional fundraising programs.
There is no income requirement to be eligible for the grant program. It is open to all legal adoptions, including private or public agency adoptions, special needs adoptions, and adoptions facilitated by an attorney.
There is a one-page simple application that needs to be filled out. For more information, visit https://www.fundyouradoption.org/adoption-grants/
6. The Tina Q. Cade Foundation
The Tina Q. Cade Foundation offers financial assistance to families battling infertility or domestic adoption. Besides, education and outreach on relevant and related issues are also offered.
Tina Q. Cade Foundation Family Building Grant provides up to $10,000 to needy infertile families and is awarded twice a year. For more information, visit https://www.cadefoundation.org/?page_id=10
7. Verna’s Purse
Verna’s Purse offers financial assistance to cancer survivors and discounted, long-term storage for semen, ovarian tissue, and embryos.
8. Samfund Grant
The SAM Fund offers IVF grants to young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer. A grant of up to $4,000 will be awarded to a wide range of cancer-associated costs. During their Spring 2023 grant cycle, they have granted over $185,000 in SAMFund grants to 112 young adult cancer survivors. Two categories of family-building grants are awarded:
- Storage of eggs, embryos or sperm (up to 1,000) and,
- Expenses for fertility procedures such as testing, IVF, gestational carrier, adoption, etc. (up to $4,000).
9. Fertile Action’s Parenthood After Cancer Treatment Grant (PACT)
PACT is an IVF grant for cancer survivors. The applicants are awarded discounted or donated services for IVF, egg donation, or surrogacy.
To be eligible, an applicant must be diagnosed with cancer.
10. Heart Beat Program
Ferring Pharmaceuticals offers the Heart Beat Program. Selected fertility medications for egg and embryo freezing are provided to women who are newly diagnosed with cancer.
Conclusion
Young cancer patients and survivors experience financial toxicity. It also negatively impacts their psychological well-being and their quality of life.
Cancer treatment can result in impaired fertility or infertility, which is also a source of concern.
In such cases, patients need to go through costly assisted reproductive technology to build their families.
However, IVF grants for cancer survivors reduce the financial burden associated with family-building post-cancer treatment.
Stay informed and apply accordingly!
IVF Grants in the U.S.
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