The Federal Department of Home Affairs recently decided that measures to preserve the fertility of people suffering from cancer will now be covered by compulsory health insurance.

If cancer patients run the risk that a planned treatment will lead to impaired ovarian or testicular function, sperm, egg cells or ovarian tissue can be frozen (so-called 'cryopreservation') and reused after therapy. Such methods are now covered for women and men up to the age of 40.

Cerebrospinal fluid analyses for diagnosing dementia will also be covered. Such analyses allow a more reliable diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and serve to distinguish the disease from dementia with a treatable cause and other diseases with similar symptoms, such as depression. They also enable earlier diagnosis and prompt therapy, which slows the progression of the disease and alleviates its symptoms.(1)

Endnotes

(1) For further information, see here.

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