VIDEO: Views on posthumous reproduction for young people with poor cancer outlooks

ANAHEIM, Calif. — In this video exclusive, Francesca Barrett, MD, MBA, discusses concerns with fertility preservation and posthumous use of assisted reproductive technologies for adolescents and young adults with poor cancer prognoses.

Barrett, a fourth-year OB/GYN resident at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, presented findings from a qualitative study of attitudes of allied health professionals at the ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo.

One of the key points the allied health professionals discussed was that posthumous reproduction could serve as a conservation of patients’ legacies or as palliative care.

“While some [allied health professionals] were positive about posthumous reproduction and the ways that it could allow for legacy to continue, others felt uncomfortable with the utilization of gametes for posthumous reproduction, and many documented competing views between the parents, the siblings and the patients about how to use the materials,” Barrett told Healio.

Reference:

• Barrett F, et al. Leaving a legacy: Allied health professionals’ perceptions of fertility preservation and posthumous reproduction for adolescent and young adults with a poor cancer prognosis. Presented at: ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo; Oct. 22-26, 2022; Anaheim, California.