Institutional approaches to implementing fertility preservation for cancer patients

Abstract

With advances in cancer treatment, increasing numbers of patients are becoming long-term survivors. A concomitant interest in quality of life for cancer survivors has developed. For patients of childbearing age, reproductive capacity and the ability to build a family is a significant survivorship concern [1-3]. Unfortunately, many cancer treatments compromise fertility, reducing the likelihood that these men and women will be able to conceive or carry children naturally. Infertility can impact self-esteem, identity, and body image; complicate intimate relationships; devastate plans for parenthood; and cause significant, on-going distress [3-6]. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.