title: Female fertility preservation in cancer patients: an instrumental tool for the envisioning a postdisease life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify whether fertility preservation (FP) improves the way women contemplate their life after the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  285 cancer patients referred for FP counseling were prospectively studied. A standardized questionnaire was submitted to all participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 85 patients (39.0%) returned the questionnaire. None of the women who rejected the FP proposal after oncofertility counseling returned the questionnaire. The median age of responders was 29.1 years (range: 18-40 years). In total, 35 of them (41.1%) were single and 72 (84.7%) were childless. A total of 66 women (77.6%) reported that the possibility of preserving fertility was instrumental to improving their coping with the burden of treatments. Since 61.2% patients perceived their cryopreserved oocytes or embryos as future children or family, the projection in a postdisease life may be at play in this improved subjective experience of treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results indicate that the simple fact of undergoing FP improves the patients' subjective experience of cancer treatments.
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique et Médecine de la Reproduction, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Clamart, F-92141, France.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Trèves
authors.forename: Michaël
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grynberg
authors.forename: Soizic le
authors.initials: Sl
authors.lastname: Parco
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finet
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poulain
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fanchin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods; D037001:Directive Counseling; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cancer; embryo cryopreservation; fertility preservation; oocyte cryopreservation; psychology