Oncofertility specialist: Don’t let cancer keep you from building a family
As a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at MD Anderson, I bridge oncology and reproductive medicine to expand family-building options for cancer patients.
About 10% of people diagnosed with cancer are of reproductive age. My goal is for them to have the option to undergo fertility preservation before starting cancer treatment. I also want to discuss their family-building options after they’ve completed cancer...
Triple-negative breast cancer survivor: ‘MD Anderson was the right place for me’
By late 2021, Jennifer Connaly and her husband, Trey, completed five rounds of IVF in the hopes of becoming pregnant with a second child....
Breast cancer survivor: Treatment at MD Anderson is helping me get on with my life
In September 2021, I was in the process of moving to San Antonio and finishing up some coursework for a teaching certification. Then, I got...
Young adult chondrosarcoma survivor: MD Anderson helped me avoid amputation
At age 21, most people are still discovering who they are. But I was being treated at MD Anderson for osteochondroma-associated de-differentiated chondrosarcoma. That’s a rare type of bone cancer originating in the cartilage. It’s usually found in much older men.
I’d never heard of MD Anderson before my diagnosis in 2015. But one of my mom’s friends in the Rio Grande Valley insisted that we go there.
I am eternally...
What is a hysterectomy?
A hysterectomy is a common procedure used to treat gynecologic cancers, like ovarian cancer, cervical cancer and endometrial cancer, and other...
What to expect when you meet with an oncofertility specialist
For people who hope to have children of their own, a cancer diagnosis can derail those plans. However, thanks to oncofertility experts, who...
Sarcoma survivor: Reclaiming hope led to my first pregnancy
It wasn’t until I attended a relative’s socially distanced birthday party last spring that I really let myself consider the possibility of...
Fertility preservation using IVF with PGD-M is helping end stomach cancer in my family
When I learned six years ago that I carry a genetic mutation called CDH1, my initial response was anger. I had just gotten married, and my...
Half of my pelvis is gone, but I’m a happy, normal 18-year-old
Discovering I had bone cancer when I was only 12 forced me to mature very quickly. Doctors found a growth about the size of an orange in my...
MD Anderson helped me achieve my family dream after non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment
In 2016, my husband and I were trying to expand our family. A swollen lymph node almost derailed our plans entirely.
I’d felt the lump...