October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and when you hear the word cancer, your mind doesn’t automatically go to fertility preservation. But when 30-year-old Tricia Russo learned she would have to go through chemotherapy, radiation, a mastectomy, reconstruction, and begin taking medications that could prompt menopause for her breast cancer diagnosis, her team quickly floated the idea of freezing embryos. 

It’s been nine years since Tricia’s breast cancer diagnosis, and her world looks a lot different. Not only is she a breast cancer survivor, she has endured a brain cancer diagnosis and surgery, became a mother through a surrogate and using donor eggs, and detailed her experience through a documentary film. 

In today’s episode, we hear from Tricia on her experience, and get further insight from her fertility doctor, Dr. Natalie Cekleniak of IRMS. 

Guests: Tricia Russo, Filmmaker, Dr. Natalie Cekleniak, IRMS 

Host: Dan Bulger 

You can watch ‘Love Always, Mom’, on Amazon Prime here. 

For more episodes of This is Infertility on Oncofertility: 

• Episode 19: Oncofertility: Making Fertility Preservation a Priority 
• Episode 20: Oncofertility: Fighting for Fertility Preservation Coverage 
• Episode 21: Oncofertility: The Hope Fertility Preservation Can Bring 
• Episode 22: Oncofertility: Helping Patients Navigate Between Oncology and Fertility 
• Episode 54: Oncofertility: Having a Fertility Benefit that Covers Fertility Preservation 

Progyny is hosting a free webinar, Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients: Focusing on Survival and Your Life After Cancer, with experts from the oncofertility industry (many of which are previous podcast guests!). You can find more information about it here.  

For more information visit Progyny’s Podcast page and Progyny’s Education page for more resources.  

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @ThisisInfertilityPodcast and use the #ThisisInfertility.     

Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected].