Category: Fertility Preservation
Cristina Thomas (top) with her mentors in the Woodruff Lab, Candace Tingen, PhD, and Min Xu, PhD. Cristina Thomas is like many young students at Northwestern University. She spends her time studying, participating in school activities, and having fun with her friends. In addition to…
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The Oncofertility Consortium often uses technical terms when discussing cancer and fertility preservation. In an effort to remove the jargon from reproductive science, Cathryn Smeyers, Program Manager of the Center for Reproductive Research, created Repropedia, which is what we link to on our blog when…
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A cancer diagnosis often carries a number of legal issues, including insurance coverage, employment and taking time off work, access to health care and government benefits, etc… These legal issues can have a serious affect on an individual’s already compromised health causing stress and confusion,…
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Back in February, we blogged about one of our sister programs for the Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) called, the Pennsylvania Academy for Reproductive Sciences otherwise known as the PARS program. Similar to OSA, the PARS program was started to teach high school girls about the…
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In the first volume of the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (JAYAO), a pioneering new cancer journal dedicated to the adolescent and young adult oncology population, an article by Oncofertility Consortium members Gwendolyn P. Quinn, PhD and Caprice A. Knapp, PhD entitled “Assessing…
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On June 5th, the 18th Annual Cancer Survivors Celebration & Walk is taking place in Chicago, IL, at Grant Park. This leisurely, non-competitive 4 mile walk is a family-focused, community awareness event dedicated to bringing together cancer survivors, friends and family, and all those who…
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The website, Get Inside Health: Your Exclusive Guide to Health and Well-Being, recently conducted an interview with Oncofertility Consortium member Gwendolyn Quinn, PhD, entitled “Preserving Fertility in Cancer Patients: Two Views.” Dr. Quinn is a researcher at the Moffit Cancer Center and Research Institute as…
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The medical community has known for a very long time that chemotherapy is disruptive to reproductive function and that young women undergoing chemotherapy have a greater chance of entering early menopause. In the 1970s, two articles were published acknowledging these two issues: Depletion of Growing…
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The Oncofertility Consortium was developed with the insight that a multidimensional approach would be required to solve the intractable problem of fertility loss in young cancer patients. By bringing together individuals with diverse backgrounds in basic science, the humanities and the social sciences, we could…
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On May 16th, Richard Anderson, PhD, MD will be delivering an Oncofertility Virtual Grand Rounds entitled, “Female Fertility Preservation in Practice: Where We Are, and How We Got Here.” Dr. Anderson is a consultant at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and a Professor of Clinical…
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As you’ve seen in previous blog posts, we’ve discussed the religious implications of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in certain faiths and challenged ourselves to rethink oncofertility in the context of religious traditions. Through analysis and close examination, we can often discuss the challenges oncofertility poses…
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Addressing fertility preservation with a newly diagnosed cancer patient may seem like a daunting task for a healthcare provider, but studies show that cancer survivors who did not learn about fertility preservation options were more likely to feel distressed by this, impacting their quality of…
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A rapidly expanding body of research indicates that many reproductive health problems and cancers may be caused by exposure to chemicals that are widely dispersed in our environment and which we come into contact on a daily basis. These problems include infertility and cancers of…
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Planning to start a family can be an exciting and exhilarating time. Oftentimes people discuss issues along the lines of finances, space, school districts, career trajectory, etc… The logistics that will have an impact on whether or not you are ready for this next step…
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Preparing to parent after cancer treatment can be both an exciting and a terrifying journey depending on what your experience with cancer was and what your current parenting options are. A recent podcast entitled “Adoption or Infertility Treatment after Cancer,” broadcast by Creating a Family,…
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Many young cancer patients prior to treatment undergo fertility preservation applications that utilize cryopreservation techniques such as egg banking, embryo banking and sperm banking. On July 24th – 27th, the 48th Annual Meeting for the Society of Cryobiology will be held at the LaSells Stewart Center…
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Fertility preservation for men is a usually a relatively straightforward process involving the collection of a sperm sample and cryopreserving it for later use. While this procedure works for many individuals, it isn’t an option for everyone, including boys who are too young to produce…
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Children’s Memorial Hospital is expanding its fertility preservation services to its young cancer patients and their families. In February, Marleta Reynolds, MD, Chief of Surgery, and Julian Schink, MD, from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, performed the hospital’s first ovarian harvest on a female patient who is…
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Comprehensive cancer care employs an interdisciplinary approach to providing expert diagnosis, treatment, and support to individuals with cancer. A team of radiologists, surgeons, pathologists, oncologists, fertility specialists, social workers, psychiatrists, support groups and other health care professionals work collaboratively to deliver individual treatment plans to…
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Last Thursday, members of the Oncofertility Consortium had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Karrie Ann Snyder, PhD, a lead research scientist in the Oncofertility Consortium who studies the way patients communicate information with their providers and what they perceive the provider is telling…
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Cancer patients and their loved ones must make an incredible number of important decisions upon diagnosis. It’s a time of extreme stress and emotions run high. Not only do they have to absorb the shock of a cancer diagnosis, they also have to navigate through…
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FAMILY TRAVELS TO RHODE ISLAND FROM OHIO FOR FERTILITY PRESERVATION FOR TWO-YEAR-OLD GIRL Having a child diagnosed with cancer is a parent’s worst nightmare. But juxtaposing the knowledge that your child may survive, and then may never be able to naturally have children of her…
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Often when we think of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the emerging field of oncofertility, we assume that this technology is available to all women of reproductive age following cancer treatment – that with some manipulation of eggs or embryos transferred back into a woman’s…
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The Oncofertility Consortium at Northwestern University is officially closed today due to a record-breaking blizzard in Chicago. The snow day gave me an opportunity to read a chapter in Malcolm Gladwell’s book What the Dog Saw about John Rock, MD, an American doctor and scientist…
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