When should I ask about fertility preservation before cancer treatment?

At the first appointment, before anything else about the subject is settled in your own mind.

Fertility preservation almost always has to happen before cancer treatment begins, and the window is often measured in days. People who wait until they have worked out what they believe, or until they feel ready to think about children, frequently find the decision has been made for them by the calendar.

Ask for the referral first. You can decline any option after you know what the options are, and declining costs you nothing.

Three sources are worth using together. Your oncology team can say what your treatment is likely to do to fertility and how much time there is. A fertility specialist can say what is realistically possible in that time. If Catholic teaching matters to your decision, a hospital ethics consultation or the National Catholic Bioethics Center can address your specific situation, and both are free.

If you are being treated at a Catholic facility, note that it will not provide IVF-based preservation and that under the 2025 Directives staff may not refer you elsewhere for it, though they must facilitate a safe transfer of care to a provider you choose. Identify an outside clinic early and ask for records to be sent promptly.