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Category: fertility

Implementing a High-Powered Oncofertility Program

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, children, Conferences, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference
Dr. Lesley Breech and her Oncofertility team at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital medical Center (CCHMC) shared a fascinating and high-yield overview of best practices in implementing a high-powered oncofertility program. Attendees gained practical knowledge and insight into how a successful patient enrollment process and fertility preservation…
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Dr. Meacham: Sexual Function in Male Cancer Survivors

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, children, Conferences, ethics, fertility, National Physicians Cooperative, Patient Stories
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference, Advocate
After hearing about issues with sexual function in female young adult cancer survivors, Dr. Meacham shared with us the special issues in young adult male cancer survivors. She discussed how sexual function includes both physical and emotional components and has a key role in determining quality…
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Dr. Finlayson: Fertility Preservation in Disorders of Sex Development (DSD)

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, children, Conferences, Education, ethics, fertility
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference, Advocate, Fertility Preservation
Dr. Finlayson, pediatric endocrinologist at the multi-disciplinary Gender & Sex Development Program at Lurie Children’s Hospital, spoke to us about fertility preservation options in patients with DSD. She started by explaining that DSD represents a group of medical congenital conditions in which chromosomal, gonadal or…
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Dr. Quinn: LGBTQ- Do Ask, Do Tell

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Conferences, Education, ethics, fertility, Fertility Preservation
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference, Advocate
Dr. Quinn, Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the Moffitt Cancer Center, educated 2015 Oncofertility Conference attendees on the importance of discussing fertility preservation options in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender and queer/questioning) patients. She called attention to the need for improved communication by reviewing that LGBTQ communities experience discrimination and…
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Dr. Smith: Restoring Fertility in Males

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, children, Conferences, ethics, fertility, General, Oncofertility
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference, Oncofertility
Dr. Smith, a reproductive urologist at UCSF, educated us on the impact of cancer treatment on male fertility and the growing need for male oncofertility treatments as childhood cancer survival rates continues to increase. As has been a theme today, Dr. Smith reviewed how alkylating…
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Dr. Campo-Engelstein: Ethical Considerations in Adolescents

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, children, Conferences, fertility, Oncofertility
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference
Dr. Campo-Engelstein, PhD in bioethics at Albany Medical College, gave a compelling review of the key ethical considerations in ovarian stimulation in adolescent cancer patients. She led attendees through a range of topics and emphasized how the biologically-determined differences in treatment by sex have real ethical ramifications for…
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Dr. Su: Ovarian Stimulation in Adolescents

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, children, Conferences, ethics, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference, cryopreservation, Fertility Preservation
Dr. Su, of UCSD, gave an eloquent and stimulating lecture reviewing medical considerations in adolescents undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for fertility preservation. Mature oocyte and embryo cryopreservation are established fertility preservation methods associated with high success rates. Dr. Su discussed how results of a case series…
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Dr. Gracia: Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Conferences, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference
Dr. Gracia, Professor, Practicing REI and Director of Fertility Preservation at UPenn, kicked off our afternoon session with a comprehensive review of ovarian tissue cryopreservation. She first reviewed indications for ovarian cryopreservation, which is an experimental option for patients who cannot pursue established methods such as…
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Dr. Sklar: Outcomes in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, children, Conferences, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, Research
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference
Dr. Sklar, Pediatric Endocrinologist, Survivorship expert and Director of the Long-term Follow-up program at Memorial Sloan Kettering, provided the morning keynote address and the first clinical lecture of the Consortium. He reviewed how long-term outcomes are highly dependent on both treatment (e.g. radiation vs. chemotherapy)…
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Dr. Clark: Female Germ Cells Differentiation

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, Conferences, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, Research
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference
Dr. Amander Clark of UCLA reviewed how differentiation of germ cells can be achieved from induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS). She reviewed how cells from the inner cell mass develop into the epiblast, which develop into all somatic cells including the primordial germ cell which differentiates into…
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Dr. Zelinski: Ovarian Vitrification

Author image - Leah Bressler By: Leah Bressler -
Categories: Blog, Conferences, fertility, Oncofertility, Research, science
Tags: 2015 Oncofertility Conference
Dr. Mary Zelinski of Oregon Health Sciences University spoke about advances in vitrification of ovarian tissue and follicles in primates. She reviewed her lab’s technique for vitrification in a closed system which has been shown to preserve primordial, primary and secondary follicles in Macaques. Since,…
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inviTRA: International Fertility Fair

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, Conferences, Education, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Global Partner
Tags: education, Fertility Preservation, infertility
Last month, Spain hosted the first assisted reproduction trade fair for patients, inviTRA. The best national and international clinics participated in the free event with exhibitors able to directly address patients during seminars.  Attendees received access to the associated magazine, Assisted Reproduction which has over 500,000 monthly…
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Companies Pay to Freeze Employees’ Eggs

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, In the news
Tags: cryopreservation, Egg Banking, fertility, Fertility Preservation
Yesterday, it was announced that Facebook and Apple are offering egg freezing as part of their insurance coverage for female employees.  Today, there are various editorials, blogs, and opinion pieces regarding the policies; some supportive, some not. Facebook began offering coverage of up to $20,000…
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Adoption and Oncofertility: Another Option for Cancer Survivors

Author image - Lauren Ataman-Millhouse By: Lauren Ataman-Millhouse -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, children, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility, Patient Stories
Tags: adoption, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, patients, Personal stories, quality of life, Survivorship
A recent feature in Cure magazine discusses adoption as another option for cancer survivors who want to build a family. Each patient is unique. The impact of a given treatment on fertility can vary and so can the time available before starting life saving treatments.…
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Top 20 Articles in Reproduction and Endocrinology

Author image - Lauren Ataman-Millhouse By: Lauren Ataman-Millhouse -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, Education, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility, Research, science
Tags: Awards, Current Oncology, education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, publication, Research, teresa k woodruff
Dr. Woodruff's article "Reproductive endocrinology: fertility in female survivors of childhood cancer" was recently listed as one of the top 20 articles in the field of reproduction and endocrinology since 2013. This article was listed at the 8th most influential in the list of 20.…
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Fertility-Friendly States

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, fertility, General, In the news
Tags: fertility, insurance, publication
Yesterday, the Huffington Post published an article outlining states that are ‘Fertility-Friendly’.  The article, ‘State-By-State ‘Fertility Friendliness’ Ranking Show Wide Range’ was written by Resolve: The National Infertility Association in partnership with EMD Serono Inc., a biotech drug company that makes fertility treatments.  While many…
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Insurance Coverage for Fertility Preservation

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Advocate, Blog, Cancer, Communication, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, cancer, Fertility Preservation, insurance, Oncofertility, publication
Chapter 14 of Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines addresses an extremely important issue in healthcare, insurance coverage.  The authors, Dr. Laxmi Kondapalli and Alice Crisci, wrote Incorporating Insurance Education into the Fertility Preservation Process to outline strategies that may facilitate access…
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The Rest is History

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, children, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility, Patient Stories
Tags: cancer, fertility, Fertility Preservation, infertility, Oncofertility, patient navigation, Personal stories
Today, we are honored to have another patient guest blogger; long-term survivor Colleen Cira.  Read through her incredible story below and join the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center this evening, March 25, from 5-8pm for “Drinks with Docs (& Healthcare Providers)” at Bridge House…
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Communication Disparities

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, Cancer, children, Education, ethics, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, ethics, Fertility Preservation, patient navigation
The next chapter in Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines addresses Disparities in Adolescent Patient-Provider Communication Regarding Fertility.  The authors, Amanda B. Fuchs and Dr. Robert E. Brannigan, provide detailed information regarding the disparities between providers and their adolescent patients even though…
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Global Partner: Portuguese Centre for Fertility Preservation

Author image - Brigid Martz Smith By: Brigid Martz Smith -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Global Partner, In the news, Introductions, Oncofertility
Tags: education, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
The Oncofertility Consortium is happy to welcome the Portuguese Center for Fertility Preservation as a Global Partner.  We currently work with reproductive specialists from all over the world in an effort to better serve children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and other fertility-threatening diseases.  Learn more about…
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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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