The Late Effects of Cancer Treatment on Female Fertility and the Current Status of Fertility Preservation—A Narrative Review

Fertility counseling should be offered to all individuals of young reproductive age early in the patient’s trajectory following a cancer diagnosis. Systemic cancer treatment and radiotherapy often have an inherent gonadotoxic effect with the potential to induce permanent infertility and premature ov...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kenny A. Rodriguez-Wallberg, Yanyu Jiang, Tobias Lekberg, Hanna P. Nilsson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Life
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/5/1195
Description
Summary:Fertility counseling should be offered to all individuals of young reproductive age early in the patient’s trajectory following a cancer diagnosis. Systemic cancer treatment and radiotherapy often have an inherent gonadotoxic effect with the potential to induce permanent infertility and premature ovarian failure. For the best chances to preserve a patient’s fertility potential and to improve future quality of life, fertility preservation methods should be applied before cancer treatment initiation, thus multidisciplinary team-work and timely referral to reproductive medicine centers specialized in fertility preservation is recommended. We aim to review the current clinical possibilities for fertility preservation and summarize how infertility, as a late effect of gonadotoxic treatment, affects the growing population of young female cancer survivors.
ISSN:2075-1729