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Young women given inadequate information about fertility preservation options
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Young women diagnosed with cancer were less likely to be told about the possible effects of cancer treatment on fertility, according to recent study results.
Young women also were less likely to be presented with fertility preservation options compared with young men diagnosed with cancer.
The study — designed to examine cancer survivors’ perceptions of fertility-preservation information and their utilization of preservation programs — included cancer survivors in Sweden aged 18 to 45 years who were diagnosed between 2003 and 2007.
The participants had a variety of cancers, including breast, testicular and ovarian cancers, lymphoma or acute leukemia. Of the 810 survivors identified by the researchers, 484 completed the study questionnaire.
Results indicated that male participants were more frequently informed about possible effects of treatment on fertility and more frequently informed about fertility preservation options than women.
The researchers posited that this marked difference was due to the relative ease and commonality of sperm banking as compared with female fertility preservation options. In addition, sperm banking is relatively quick, while female fertility preservation options may delay commencement of cancer treatment.
Predictors of receiving information about treatment-affected fertility included male gender (OR=3.2), age 35 years or younger (OR=2.0), and expressing the desire to have children (OR=3.5).
Predictors of receiving more information about treatment fertility included male gender (OR=14.4), age 35 years or younger at diagnosis (OR=5.1), and having no children at diagnosis (OR=2.5).
“Being able to have children is an important part of cancer survivorship, and several options are available to preserve patients’ future fertility,” the researchers wrote. “Fertility-related information presented to young adult patients with cancer must be improved to increase their opportunities to make informed decisions regarding their treatment and their future reproductive ability.”
Perspective
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Kutluk Oktay, MD, FACOG
This study is yet another piece of evidence of health care disparities when it comes to fertility preservation. Not only are there tremendous differences between geographical areas as to who receives fertility preservation information and treatment, but there seems to be a gender gap as well. It is likely that ease and availability of semen analysis favor males in fertility preservation. The techniques used in female fertility preservation are more complicated and are not uniformly available.
Follow-up studies will be needed to determine whether this gender gap will close as female fertility preservation techniques become more common. Regardless, there is still more progress to be made in educating health care personnel about when and how to discuss fertility preservation options with patients who are faced with the possibility of losing fertility due to medical treatments.
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