What is your current treatment state?
Finished all treatments

Did you undergo any fertility preservation treatments?
No, Medications IUI or IVF, Surrogate

Did someone on your healthcare team speak to you about the possible effects of cancer treatments on your fertility?
Yes

Who raised the topic?
A member of my healthcare team did

Was the information you received thorough and helpful?
No

Why did you not undergo fertility preservation?
I didn’t have time before treatment

How did you pay for it?
I paid for it out of pocket,I got help paying for it from family\friends,Other

Why did you undergo fertility preservation?
It was not until approximately sixteen years post cancer treatment that I underwent fertility treatments. At the time of diagnosis (2001), I was in late stage ovarian cancer and had what they thought were days to live – there was no time or really, reason, to preserve my fertility. For years I was told that my remaining eggs were likely destroyed by my treatments and from the trauma of having a hysterectomy at 10 years old. In an effort to simply understand my options, my husband and I visited our local reproductive endocrinologist, where despite all the odds, they were able to harvest 33 eggs which created our 13 embryos.

Did you become a parent after cancer?
Yes, I underwent fertility treatments (medications IUI or IVF) to help become pregnant,I had a surrogate

Meagan’s Story

At the age of nine, I lost all chances of carrying a pregnancy due to ovarian cancer. I was told that I’d win the lottery twice before ever having a biological child. In an attempt to escape the dark cloud of infertility grief, my husband and I visited our local reproductive endocrinologist simply to understand our options. We never truly thought having biological children was even an option for us and I knew I needed to hear that from someone who specializes in the world of fertility. Fast forward sixteen years post hysterectomy, 33 eggs were harvested from my single ovary and one of my childhood best friends offered to be our gestational carrier. Everything seemed to be moving so fast and suddenly it was transfer day. Within two weeks of learning we were expected twins, we lost our Baby B. My world stopped. First I was never able to have children, then I had two, and quickly had to give one of them back. My heart was shattered. In February 2019, our surrogate delivered the most beautiful baby boy. As soon as I laid eyes on him, I knew he was mine and somehow he always knew me. I truly won the lottery.

Meagan’s story of beating ovarian cancer spreads hope of a brighter future to others