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Category: Blog

Focus on Family

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, General
Tags: cancer, Personal stories
Below is a guest post from Luke Tripodi on the importance of family during his cancer journey.  We thank him for taking the time to guest post and wish him continued health! By Luke Tripodi My story starts off the same way so many others’…
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Saving Fertility Not Priority at Most Cancer Centers

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, General, Research
Tags: publication, Research, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Lack of policies to protect cancer patients’ fertility at top cancer centers Infertility is consistently listed as one of the most distressing long-term side effects of cancer treatment for adolescents and young adults. Yet the leading National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers — which should…
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Learning to Bridge the Information Gap

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: BRCA, breast cancer, cancer, education, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, teresa k woodruff
Information gaps are widely apparent in patient-physician relationships due to a multitude of factors.  Some patients are not interested or emotionally able to process information provided by the physician while certain physicians may not be comfortable discussing various options with their patients or feel that…
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Communicating Fertility to High-Risk Patients

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility, Research
Tags: BRCA, breast cancer, cancer, Egg Banking, Embryo Banking, fertility, Fertility Preservation
Women who have a high risk of breast or ovarian cancer face a number of looming decisions; from whether or not to undergo prophylactic surgery, to electing increased surveillance, to taking risk-lowering medication.  Interwoven with these decisions is the implication each will have on fertility.…
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Sexual Health, Fertility, and Intimacy in Adolescent Cancer Patients

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, Research
Tags: cancer, social science
Adolescent and young adult cancer patients face unique social, physical, and emotional experiences during diagnosis and treatment that may not occur in younger or older individuals. A recent chapter in the book, Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines, highlights some of these…
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Oncofertility: Education and the Role of Decision-Making Tools

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, Education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, Research, science
Tags: cancer, education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, patient navigation
Education materials, whether in print or web-based, have a large role in helping patients feel confident in their medical decision-making.  Continuing with our overview of Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines, Chapter 3 focuses on the importance of education, and the role of decision-making…
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Communicating Across Diverse and Differently Literate Audiences

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, Education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, cancer, education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, publication
We can all remember a time when we have received medical information from our doctor and have walked away with little or no comprehension of what was discussed.  The second chapter in Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships Across Disciplines is entitled Communicating Across…
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The Stupid Cancer Show: Perspectives on Life after Cancer

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, Education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, Personal stories, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stupid Cancer
Here at the Oncofertility Consortium, we’re huge fans – both personally and professionally – of Matthew Zachary, the force behind Stupid Cancer; the nation’s largest support community of young adult survivors of cancer.  Created in 2004 (first as Steps for Living, then transitioning into I’m Too…
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Research Update: New Insights into use of Ovarian Tissue After Cryopreservation

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Research, science
Tags: ovarian tissue cryopreservation, Research
Two ovarian follicles at different stages of maturation (primary on the left, secondary on the right). Women with ovarian lesions, such as benign or malignant tumors, or those at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer now have additional evidence that can help them decide…
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Support The Family Act of 2013!

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation
Tags: Advocate, Fertility Preservation, infertility, insurance
Imagine that you are diagnosed with cancer at 24.  On top of processing the enormity of your diagnosis at such a young age, you’re shuttled from one appointment to the next, coordinating your treatment plan in the quickest timeframe possible.  Today, treatment discussions are more…
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Research Update: First Live Human Birth From Vitrified Ovarian Tissue

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Research, science
Tags: cryopreservation, Research
The reproductive community took note recently with the publication of research stating that ovarian tissue cryopreserved using a technique called vitrification, has resulted in a live human birth. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is an experimental fertility preservation technique that involves the surgical removal of an ovary,…
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Perspectives from the 7th annual Oncofertility Conference

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, Conferences, Education, Fertility Preservation, General, National Physicians Cooperative, Oncofertility
Tags: Conference, Fertility Preservation, National Physicians Cooperative, Oncofertility
Oncofertility is a multidisciplinary field of experts coming together to provide fertility options to cancer patients.  The multidisciplinary nature of the field was on display during our 7th annual Oncofertility Conference in Chicago, Illinois.  During the course of the conference, we saw presentations from international…
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President-Elect of the American Medical Association To Speak at the 2013 Oncofertility Conference

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Conferences, fertility, Oncofertility
Tags: 2013 Oncofertility Conference, cancer, Fertility Preservation, MD, Oncofertility, Robert M Wah
The Oncofertility Consortium is proud to announce that Robert M. Wah, MD, reproductive endocrinologist, ob-gyn, and president- elect of the American Medical Association (AMA), will be speaking at the 2013 Oncofertility Conference on the evening of September 9th. Dr. Wah practices and teaches at the…
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Tomorrow’s VGR: Psychological Aspects of Fertility Preservation

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, ethics, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, quality of life, social science
Tomorrow, August 8th, we are excited to be hosting Angela Lawson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, for our Virtual Grand Rounds (VGR) at 10 AM CDT, entitled, “Psychological Aspects of Fertility Preservation.”…
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After Cancer: Surrogacy As a Fertility Option

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, Fertility Preservation, infertility, Oncofertility, Personal stories, Surrogacy
By Jen Rachman At age 26, I was living my life, self-sufficient, secure and independent. I took care of myself physically and emotionally. Life was nearly perfect, until the routine trip to the gynecologist that wound up saving my life. When you hear the words, “you…
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2013 Oncofertility Conference: CALL FOR ABSTRACTS!

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, General
The 7th annual Oncofertility Conference: Cancer and Fertility Around the Globe, is September 9 & 10, 2013, in Chicago, IL, at Prentice Women’s Hospital. The Oncofertility Consortium is seeking abstract submissions for the poster session on Monday the 9th, for work related to the field of cancer and fertility.…
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Breast Cancer Genes Verdict a Triumph for Women

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, BRCA1, cancer, Fertility Preservation, legal, women's health research institute
Below is a guest post by Megan Castle, Program Coordinator for the Women’s Health Research Institute at Northwestern University.  By Megan Castle Geneticists, researchers, and patients joined in celebration over last [month’s] unanimous Supreme Court ruling involving the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, colloquially referred to…
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Support Young Adult Cancer Survivors in the 2nd Annual Chicago SUP YACS Classic!

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation
Tags: AYA, cancer, Chicago SUP YACS Classic, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
On July 27th, 2013, the hugely popular Chicago SUP YACS Classic (Stand Up Paddleboard for Young Adult Cancer Survivors), is holding their second annual event on Chicago’s north side at Montrose Beach. The SUP YACS Classic is a chance for everyone in the Chicagoland area…
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Support For Fertility Preservation Is Now An AMA Policy!

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, Education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: AMA, Fertility Preservation, infertility, insurance, Oncofertility
Should insurance companies cover the expenses of fertility preservation when a young cancer patient is at risk of losing their fertility as a result of their treatment? This is what members of the Michigan delegation asked the American Medical Association (AMA) to support by lobbying…
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