“A team of angels just swooped in,” reflects patient Alexandria on her experience with the RMA of New York – Westchester team.
The week of her 38th birthday, Alexandria, a pediatric physical therapist based in Westchester, went in for an MRI appointment. The result: a triple-positive Breast Cancer diagnosis. It was a lot to process, but some familiarity came with it; Alexandria’s mother was 38 when she was given her first Breast Cancer diagnosis.
Days after receiving the news, Alexandria was through the doors of RMA of New York’s White Plains practice, meeting with Dr. Matthew Lederman to discuss her fertility preservation options ahead of cancer-treatment. She swiftly began the egg freezing process.
For young-adult patients, a cancer diagnosis comes with a unique set of challenges. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation are considered gonadotoxic treatments, meaning treatments that could potentially harm reproductive systems and fertility. Oncofertility is the process of preserving fertility prior to undergoing those treatments.
Through an expedited referral process, RMA of New York works with a patient’s oncology team to schedule an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist within 48 hours of initial contact and prior to any gonadotoxic treatments. In most cases, fertility preservation procedures can be completed within weeks of that initial appointment and scheduled around cancer diagnostic procedures and treatments. In this way, patients are able to preserve their fertility, and safely store their specimens until they are ready to focus on building a family.
Having a four-time cancer survivor as a mom, Alexandria knew there was an increased risk that she, too, could have this disease. Through her treatment, the roles reversed; Alexandria went from being her mom’s caretaker to her mom being hers.
Shortly thereafter, Alexandria went in for her double-mastectomy: “an unconventional Valentine’s Day gift.” With a few weeks before chemotherapy began, Alexandria squeezed in a second round of egg freezing, retrieved at RMA of New York’s Mount Kisco clinic.
Reflecting on the process, Alexandria shares, “Dr. Lederman’s advocacy and passion for [oncofertility] was infectious. He really got what I was going through – and just how escalated the timeline needed to be. His team was incredible – and I’m happy to talk to any patients going through this. While it’s certainly not easy, having RMANY’s support made everything smoother.”
Alexandria also noted how grateful she was for the support of non-profit The Chick Mission, which helps assist oncofertility patients with the cost of treatment through their Hope Grant program. RMA of New York is a proud partner of the organization, as well as others in the oncofertility space.
RMA of New York is widely recognized as a global leader in state-of-the-art reproductive medicine and serves as the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, RMA of New York has fertility clinic locations throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Long Island and recently joined US Fertility and its network of premier reproductive medicine practices. For more information, please visit www.rmany.com or find RMA of New York on Instagram at @rmaofny
