User login
patient and her father
Photo by Rhoda Baer
Results of a small study suggest that adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors have a range of concerns regarding their fertility.
The female cancer survivors studied were more likely than males to describe feeling distressed and overwhelmed about their fertility.
Females also tended to worry about pregnancy-related health risks and cancer recurrence.
However, AYA cancer survivors of both sexes expressed concerns about genetic risk factors and how infertility might impact their future lives.
Catherine Benedict, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York, and her colleagues conducted this research and reported the results in the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.
The researchers assessed fertility concerns in 43 AYA cancer survivors. They were 16 to 24 at the time of the study, had been diagnosed with cancer between ages 14 and 18, and were at least 6 months post-treatment.
The subjects either completed an individual interview (n=26) or participated in 1 of 4 focus groups (n=17).
Before treatment, 5 of the males had banked sperm, but none of the females took steps to preserve their fertility. More males (50%) than females (39%) reported uncertainty about their fertility.
The researchers identified 3 themes when discussing fertility with the study subjects: fertility concerns, emotions raised when discussing fertility, and strategies used to manage fertility concerns.
Concerns
Some subjects expressed concerns about how potential infertility could affect dating and relationships with partners (8% of males and 20% of females).
Some subjects were concerned about the health risks associated with having children—both risks to the subjects themselves and to any potential children (39% of males and 30% of females).
And some subjects were concerned about how potential infertility would affect their lives going forward (31% of males and 20% of females).
Emotions
When it came to emotions associated with fertility discussions, some subjects said they felt distressed and overwhelmed (23% of males and 30% of females).
However, some subjects said they weren’t concerned about their fertility (31% of males and 15% of females) or they felt hopeful despite the risk of infertility (8% of males and 20% of females).
Managing concerns
The subjects also mentioned a few strategies for managing fertility concerns. Some said they had accepted infertility (23% of males and 15% of females).
Some subjects said they weren’t going to worry about their fertility until they were older and actually wanted to have children (23% of males and 20% of females).
And some subjects said they would rely on assisted reproductive technology if necessary (31% of males and 20% of females).
Dr Benedict and her colleagues said this study suggests AYA cancer survivors may have a number of reproductive concerns and fertility-related distress, which may affect other areas of psychosocial functioning.
So future research should explore how to best incorporate fertility-related informational and support services more fully into survivorship care. 
patient and her father
Photo by Rhoda Baer
Results of a small study suggest that adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors have a range of concerns regarding their fertility.
The female cancer survivors studied were more likely than males to describe feeling distressed and overwhelmed about their fertility.
Females also tended to worry about pregnancy-related health risks and cancer recurrence.
However, AYA cancer survivors of both sexes expressed concerns about genetic risk factors and how infertility might impact their future lives.
Catherine Benedict, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York, and her colleagues conducted this research and reported the results in the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.
The researchers assessed fertility concerns in 43 AYA cancer survivors. They were 16 to 24 at the time of the study, had been diagnosed with cancer between ages 14 and 18, and were at least 6 months post-treatment.
The subjects either completed an individual interview (n=26) or participated in 1 of 4 focus groups (n=17).
Before treatment, 5 of the males had banked sperm, but none of the females took steps to preserve their fertility. More males (50%) than females (39%) reported uncertainty about their fertility.
The researchers identified 3 themes when discussing fertility with the study subjects: fertility concerns, emotions raised when discussing fertility, and strategies used to manage fertility concerns.
Concerns
Some subjects expressed concerns about how potential infertility could affect dating and relationships with partners (8% of males and 20% of females).
Some subjects were concerned about the health risks associated with having children—both risks to the subjects themselves and to any potential children (39% of males and 30% of females).
And some subjects were concerned about how potential infertility would affect their lives going forward (31% of males and 20% of females).
Emotions
When it came to emotions associated with fertility discussions, some subjects said they felt distressed and overwhelmed (23% of males and 30% of females).
However, some subjects said they weren’t concerned about their fertility (31% of males and 15% of females) or they felt hopeful despite the risk of infertility (8% of males and 20% of females).
Managing concerns
The subjects also mentioned a few strategies for managing fertility concerns. Some said they had accepted infertility (23% of males and 15% of females).
Some subjects said they weren’t going to worry about their fertility until they were older and actually wanted to have children (23% of males and 20% of females).
And some subjects said they would rely on assisted reproductive technology if necessary (31% of males and 20% of females).
Dr Benedict and her colleagues said this study suggests AYA cancer survivors may have a number of reproductive concerns and fertility-related distress, which may affect other areas of psychosocial functioning.
So future research should explore how to best incorporate fertility-related informational and support services more fully into survivorship care.
patient and her father
Photo by Rhoda Baer
Results of a small study suggest that adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors have a range of concerns regarding their fertility.
The female cancer survivors studied were more likely than males to describe feeling distressed and overwhelmed about their fertility.
Females also tended to worry about pregnancy-related health risks and cancer recurrence.
However, AYA cancer survivors of both sexes expressed concerns about genetic risk factors and how infertility might impact their future lives.
Catherine Benedict, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York, and her colleagues conducted this research and reported the results in the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.
The researchers assessed fertility concerns in 43 AYA cancer survivors. They were 16 to 24 at the time of the study, had been diagnosed with cancer between ages 14 and 18, and were at least 6 months post-treatment.
The subjects either completed an individual interview (n=26) or participated in 1 of 4 focus groups (n=17).
Before treatment, 5 of the males had banked sperm, but none of the females took steps to preserve their fertility. More males (50%) than females (39%) reported uncertainty about their fertility.
The researchers identified 3 themes when discussing fertility with the study subjects: fertility concerns, emotions raised when discussing fertility, and strategies used to manage fertility concerns.
Concerns
Some subjects expressed concerns about how potential infertility could affect dating and relationships with partners (8% of males and 20% of females).
Some subjects were concerned about the health risks associated with having children—both risks to the subjects themselves and to any potential children (39% of males and 30% of females).
And some subjects were concerned about how potential infertility would affect their lives going forward (31% of males and 20% of females).
Emotions
When it came to emotions associated with fertility discussions, some subjects said they felt distressed and overwhelmed (23% of males and 30% of females).
However, some subjects said they weren’t concerned about their fertility (31% of males and 15% of females) or they felt hopeful despite the risk of infertility (8% of males and 20% of females).
Managing concerns
The subjects also mentioned a few strategies for managing fertility concerns. Some said they had accepted infertility (23% of males and 15% of females).
Some subjects said they weren’t going to worry about their fertility until they were older and actually wanted to have children (23% of males and 20% of females).
And some subjects said they would rely on assisted reproductive technology if necessary (31% of males and 20% of females).
Dr Benedict and her colleagues said this study suggests AYA cancer survivors may have a number of reproductive concerns and fertility-related distress, which may affect other areas of psychosocial functioning.
So future research should explore how to best incorporate fertility-related informational and support services more fully into survivorship care.