Jump to Navigation

Category: fertility

Fertility Preservation: Childless by Choice

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, cryopreservation, Egg Banking, Fertility Preservation, infertility, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, Personal stories, quality of life, Techniques
We hope that all patients of reproductive age who are diagnosed with cancer have the opportunity to discuss oncofertility with their provider shortly after diagnosis. This conversation should include the options, risks, benefits and various outcomes of available fertility preservation techniques. Oncofertility decisions can have…
Read More

Fertility Preservation: It’s a Small World After All

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General
Tags: cryopreservation, Fertility Preservation, Northwestern University, Oncofertility, Personal stories, Sperm Banking
Recently I dipped my foot into the real estate market and began looking for a place we could call home. I followed all the steps that most anyone else would: I hooked up with a real estate agent (*Todd), I began scouring all the listings…
Read More

GiveForward Makes Fertility Preservation Possible

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, Egg Banking, Fertility Preservation, fundraising, GiveForward, infertility, insurance, Oncofertility, Sperm Banking, Surrogacy
It’s not uncommon for people to gift others with money on a birthday, or a graduation, at a wedding, etc.., but what about when people really need it? What about when people are in times of personal crisis?  Statistics show that 60% of all bankruptcies…
Read More

Cancer, Fertility, and the Big “D:” Divorce

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: divorce, Embryo Banking, ethics, fertility, Fertility Preservation, infertility, legal, Oncofertility, quality of life, social science
Fertility concerns rank high among newly diagnosed cancer patients of reproductive age. There are several options available to patients interested in preserving their fertility before treatment begins. An often selected choice among patients with a spouse or a committed partner is embryo banking. Embryo banking…
Read More

Cancer Survivorship Programs: Beyond Treatment

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, Children's Memorial Hospital, education, Fertility Preservation, infertility, Northwestern University, patient navigation, quality of life, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Survivorship
As a result of earlier detection and improved treatments, cancer survival statistics have dramatically increased. Some survivors may live with cancer as a chronic disease requiring periodic treatments, while others may go into long-term remission. As many survivors have learned, recovery is often not the…
Read More

Family Planning Post-Cancer: Reproductive Options

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, General, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, Egg Banking, fertility, infertility, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Oncofertility, patient navigation, Sperm Banking, Surrogacy
Planning a family post-cancer can be a complicated process if a patient’s fertility was compromised during their cancer treatment. Depending on a cancer survivor’s prior treatment regime and subsequent fertility options, a number of family planning options may be available to them.  I spoke with…
Read More

Young Cancer Survivors Connect Over Cocktails

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, education, Egg Banking, Fertility Preservation, Northwestern University, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, patient navigation, quality of life, Sperm Banking
In March, we blogged about a survivorship event scheduled for April 7th at the Museum of Science and Industry entitled A Night at the Museum: An Evening for Young Adults Touched by Cancer and we’re back to report what an outstanding success it was! The…
Read More

Repropedia: A reproductive dictionary for oncofertility

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Introductions, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, Fertility Preservation, Northwestern University, Oncofertility, Repropedia, Woodruff Lab
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…
Read More

Oncofertility Academy Student Receives Top Honors

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, In the news, Oncofertility Saturday Academy
Tags: Awards, Be Wise, education, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, Oncofertility Saturday Academy, PARS, Young Womens Leadership
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…
Read More

Oncofertility in the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, In the news, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, clinical research, Fertility Preservation, infertility, legal, Oncofertility, social science
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…
Read More

Chicago Celebrates National Cancer Survivor’s Day

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, In the news, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, cancer, Cancer Survivor's Celebration & Walk, Egg Banking, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, Personal stories, quality of life
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…
Read More

Best Practices in Fertility Preservation Communication

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, In the news, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, Egg Banking, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, posthumous reproduction, Sperm Banking
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…
Read More

Fertility Preservation across the Pond: Global Oncofertility

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, National Physicians Cooperative, Oncofertility
Tags: Fertility Preservation, infertility, National Physicians Cooperative, Oncofertility
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…
Read More

The Oncofertility Consortium: Building the Bridge across Disciplines

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: education, Fertility Preservation, Lisa Campo-Engelstein, multidisciplinary, Northwestern University, Oncofertility, publication
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…
Read More

Fertility Preservation Then, Now and Going Forward

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, National Physicians Cooperative, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, Egg Banking, fertility, Fertility Preservation, infertility, National Physicians Cooperative, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, patient navigation
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…
Read More

Oncofertility and Womanhood in Muslim Communities

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, ethics, Fertility Preservation, Islam, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, religion
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…
Read More

Oncofertility from the Perspective of a Physician

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, National Physicians Cooperative, Oncofertility
Tags: ethics, Fertility Preservation, healthcare provider, infertility, National Physicians Cooperative
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…
Read More

Cancer, Fertility and Environmental Implications

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, General, Oncofertility
Tags: cancer, clinical research, environmental chemicals, Fertility Preservation, Institute for Women's Health Research
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…
Read More

Family Planning and Cancer

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, Egg Banking, Fertility Preservation, Gilda's Club Chicago, infertility, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, Patient Navigator, Sperm Banking, Surrogacy
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…
Read More

Post Cancer: Pregnancy, Adoption, and Infertility

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, cancer, clinical research, education, Egg Banking, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, patient navigation, Surrogacy
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,…
Read More

Deciding Your Future in Cancer’s Wake

By: Oncofertility Admin -
Categories: Blog, fertility, General, Oncofertility
Tags: Advocate, cancer, education, Egg Banking, ethics, Fertility Preservation, Oncofertility, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, social science, Sperm Banking, Surrogacy
Young cancer patients who choose fertility preservation in the midst of a cancer diagnosis reveal their belief in a future for themselves and in their body’s ability to create life even when faced with death. Oncofertility technologies offer possibilities to cancer patients asking them to…
Read More
Back To Top