Table 3.

Fertility Preservation options for reproductive age women with breast cancer

Fertility preservation option	Current status	Advantages	Disadvantages
Embryo Cryopreservation	Established	Highest cumulative pregnancy rates	Requires about two weeks delay in the initiation of cancer treatment
			Requires hormonal stimulation for oocyte retrieval
			Requires in vitro fertilization with male partner or donor sperm
Oocyte Cryopreservation	Established	No need for male partner or sperm donor	Requires about two weeks delay in the initiation of cancer treatment
			Requires hormonal stimulation for oocyte retrieval
Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Transplantation	Currently experimental, may change as success rates are rising	No need for hormonal stimulation	Requires outpatient laparoscopic surgery for ovarian tissue harvesting and subsequent transplantation
		No need to significantly delay in the initiation of chemotherapy
		No need for male partner or sperm donor