W&I joins Armstrong fertility program

PROVIDENCE – Women & Infants Hospital has signed a contract with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to provide discounted fertility services as part of the LIVESTRONG Sharing Hope Program, which helps cancer patients and survivors whose treatments have affected fertility.
Infertility affects an estimated 6.1 million women and their partners in the United States, or about 10 percent of reproductive-age women. In addition, more and more women – and now even girls – are getting a chance to preserve their eggs before cancer treatments.
As part of the LIVESTRONG partnership, Women & Infants’ Center for Reproduction and Infertility will work with the foundation to increase access to fertility preservation services for cancer patients, which are often unaffordable, especially for the uninsured.
The center will also offer discounted rates for fertility preservation treatment, as well as free medications, for women, adolescents and toddlers who are preparing to go through chemotherapy, radiation or other aggressive drug therapies to treat cancer.
“Struggling with infertility can put an incredible amount of stress on a woman and her partner,” Dr. Sandra A. Carson, medical director of the center and a professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “Add to that the stress of the financial commitment required for the treatment, and the results can be overwhelming.”
Fertility issues are a growing concern among women and girls with deadly diseases such as breast cancer and childhood leukemia, Carson said, adding costs and emotional turmoil to already difficult situations, so the hospital is “so grateful” to be able to help with the costs.
The center is the largest fertility program in Rhode Island, offering in vitro fertilization, in vitro maturation, and a full array of diagnostic and therapeutic services. It also conducts extensive research and is now involved in a joint effort with oncologists at Hasbro Children’s Hospital to provide fertility preservation services for children.
To learn more about the Sharing Hope program, visit livestrong.org/fertilehope.