FERTILITY PRESERVATION COUNSELING OF FEMALE CANCER PATIENTS

Fertility information is a priority for young cancer female patients, but provision of such information is often inadequate. Health care providers should be prepared to discuss the negative impact of cancer therapy on reproductive health and to explain the use of fertility preservation methods to all patients even if they are not interested at the time of treatment. Fertility preservation might be offered without the risk of delaying cancer treatments, only if there is a prompt referral and an effective network between oncologists and reproductive endocrinologists. Early fertility counseling may increase patient's chances of receiving appropriate information and improve the success of fertility preservation. Development of local clinical guidelines and educational activities should be encouraged. Indications and contraindications, limits and controversies of the fertility sparing techniques are reviewed in order to help the oncologist to effectively counsel cancer patients.