Private MD News

Few young cancer patients take steps to preserve fertility

Category: Infertitlity Hormone Testing

Many women of reproductive age who are treated for cancer do not take steps to preserve their fertility, such as undergoing FSH testing to measure fertility or having their eggs or embryos frozen prior to treatment, according to a new study.

The University of California, San Francisco, researchers who conducted the investigation said that some women may simply not realize that chemotherapy and other cancer-fighting treatments can leave a woman infertile. However, they may regret not taking steps to preserve fertility late in life.

For the study, the team surveyed more than 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and 40 who were being treated for some form of cancer. The results showed that 60 percent received some kind of counseling on their treatment's potential impact on fertility. However, only 4 percent pursued some kind of service to preserve fertility.

"Although more women are getting counseled regarding reproductive health risks, many women are still not receiving adequate information about their options at the time of cancer diagnosis," said said lead researcher Mitchell Rosen. "Routine counseling regarding reproductive health risk and options for preserving reproductive potential will improve the quality of life among survivors."