The entrepreneur Christina Dorr Drake has advocated for the need for those diagnosed with cancer to consider emergency in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Credit: Christina Dorr Drake
Christina Dorr Drake, a 36-year-old entrepreneur, went to her annual obstetric–gynecologic appointment in early 2020 with plans to talk about family planning. The appointment turned into the start of her treatment for breast cancer. The Brooklynite didn’t have a history of cancer in her family, but her team of doctors at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center acted quickly to ensure her future ability to start a family: She received emergency in vitro fertilization (IVF) at NYU Langone Fertility Center, where doctors retrieved and froze four embryos.
“After my first appointment, my doctor talked to me about my goals for having children,” said Dorr Drake. “She was able to connect me to the NYU Langone Fertility Center, which was close by. Having such integrated access made the whole process a lot easier for me.”
Dorr Drake started her chemotherapy in February 2020, followed by surgery, responding well to all treatments. Now cancer-free, she and her husband have received surrogacy support from A Chance for Life Foundation to start their family. Dorr Drake is passionate about sharing her story and how crucial it was for her to get emergency IVF.
“My team didn’t just treat my cancer … They made sure to look out for me as a person, and my total wellbeing.”
Credit: Christina Dorr Drake
“We are seeing a rise in breast cancer diagnoses in young women,” said Deborah M. Axelrod, MD, Dorr Drake’s surgical oncologist and the director of clinical breast surgery and community outreach at Perlmutter Cancer Center. “That’s why it’s becoming more and more important for fertility services to be readily available, in order to help these patients who might want to start families after their treatment.”
Doctors at NYU Langone Fertility Center are experts in preserving the fertility of people who have complex medical conditions, including cancer. Reproductive specialists work closely with gynecologic oncologists at Perlmutter Cancer Center to offer fertility-preserving treatment.
The center has one of the largest single-center number of births for cancer survivors worldwide. Like those without cancer, individuals with cancer most often freeze unfertilized eggs. They can also freeze embryos or a combination of eggs and embryos for use later.
“My team didn’t just treat my cancer,” said Dorr Drake. “They made sure to look out for me as a person, and my total wellbeing. My husband and I are excited to continue our family-planning journey cancer-free.”
