Lance Armstrong Conceives Naturally 10+ Years After Testicular Cancer – Against All Odds or Normal?

Fertile Hope has been inundated with questions since the reports by the media that Lance Armstrong conceived naturally more than 10 year after his treatment for testicular cancer, and after using his banked sperm with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive three children. The news is incredibly hopeful, but also confusing. Do cancer treatments affect fertility permanently? How long does it take for sperm production to come back? Should patients still bank sperm? We took these questions and more to our Medical Advisory Board and published the answers in our online newsletter. I’d love to know what you think. Healthcare professionals – will this change if/how you talk about sperm banking with cancer patients? Cancer patients and survivors – will you still bank? How long will you keep banked sperm? How often will you get your sperm counts checked? My list of questions is endless. Please, tell us what this means to you.

Who Told You Cancer Treatments Might Cause Infertility? Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Tells All Patients...

Every year 140,000 new patients are diagnosed with cancer under the age of 45 and our goal is to make sure that 100% of them are told if their cancer treatments will cause infertility. Today, we are 400 patients closer to that goal. Fertile Hope runs an amazingly simple, yet effective program to help ensure that all newly diagnosed cancer patients are informed of their fertility risks – Centers of Excellence. How does it work? Check out the application – in brief, we simply award cancer centers for doing the right thing. I am thrilled to report that the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is now a Fertile Hope Center of Excellence. CHOP sees approximately 400 new patients under the age of 18 every year and now has systems in place to make sure that each and every one of them is given information about their fertility risks. How did you find out?

Fundraising Events in a Recession – Will You Still Attend?

Nonprofit organizations dedicate a lot of time and money every year to hosting fundraising events like Fertile Hope's acclaimed Hope Uncorked wine tasting events. We’ve always prided ourselves on hosting fun, fabulous events – not your usual rubber chicken dinners where you are stuck at a table with the people you work with all day - and like to think that even in a recession you will still attend. However, we don't want to pull it altogether only to have no one show up. One one hand, it feels extravagant in a bad economy. On the other hand, it can be a cost-effective way to multi-task - get together with friends; enjoy good food and an open bar (tickets are often less than you'd spend on a night of food and drinks out on the town); find a few steals on your favorite products in the silent auction; and support your favorite charity. What will you attend? Skip? Why?

Welcome - And Advice Please!

I am thrilled to announce the launch of the Fertile Hope blog! I have to admit that it is my personal ignorance that has kept the organization in the dark ages. Thanks to our brilliant team, we are finally joining the world of blogs. Welcome. Now, I need your advice. As a self proclaimed technology dinosaur, I am not exactly a blogging whiz. My vision for this blog is to be a useful place for information, discussion and feedback. So, tell me – is that realistic? What do you want out of the Fertile Hope blog? What do you want me to post? And, not post?