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The Oncofertility Consortium

by Gabrielle on September 18th, 2007

Sounds like the name of a secret society or a collaboration of sinister characters one might find watching reruns of Alias or the X-Files. It is, in fact, a bold new initiative, funded by the National Institutes of Health, organized by Northwestern University that aims to protect the fertility of women who are undergoing radiation or chemotherapy.

Teresa Woodruff’s statement on www.kaisernetwork.org was music to my ears:

When a woman is diagnosed with cancer, the first priority is to save her life, Teresa Woodruff, chief of the Feinberg School’s new fertility preservation division, said. She added that although most women will survive, the treatments that attack malignant tumors and cells also can destroy the ability to conceive. “The fertility docs are not used to treating sick people; the oncologists are not focused on anything beyond survival … so this is about breaking down those barriers,” Woodruff said, adding, “On the day of diagnosis every cancer patient can be treated as a survivor, advised of her reproductive options from the very beginning.”

About bleeping time. Earlier this year I was surprised and saddened to see that after decades of research and advances in how cancers are treated that “fertility issues” received only a mention (pp. 27-28) in the 2007 Cancer Resource Guide published by www.curetoday.com. I was further convinced that cancer survivors are the unknown demographic in the world of infertility when Peggy Orenstein’s 8-page spread on egg donation that appeared in the New York Times Magazine gave us less than a sentence.

For long-term survivors like me, it is obviously too late to preserve eggs or reconfigure treatments to ensure future fertility. But thanks to a fabulous organization called Fertile Hope it is not too late for individuals undergoing treatment now. Fertile Hope is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing reproductive information, support and hope to cancer patients and survivors whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility. They even offer financial assistance to individuals interested in preserving their eggs or sperm in the hopes of post-treatment pregnancy. Other organizations, such as the SAMFund are expanding their assistance and missions to address fertility issues in cancer survivors. It is encouraging to see the medical community finally step to the plate.

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