title: Characteristics and attitudes of women in relation to chosen fertility preservation techniques: a prospective, multicenter questionnaire-based study with 144 participants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  What are the patients attitudes about their fertility and about the counselling process at the time when fertility preservation counselling is performed?
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey regarding fertility concerns and counselling performance in relation to the chosen fertility preservation procedure such as no treatment, GnRH agonists, and freezing of ovarian tissue or oocytes/zygotes was prospectively conducted in four university centres and one private centre, all belonging to the network FertiPROTEKT in Germany and Switzerland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All women (n=145) received a questionnaire at the first counselling appointment. The mean age of the patients was 30 years (±5.8, range 17-43 years). 91% were referred by their treating oncologists. Single patients preferred invasive strategies, such as freezing of oocytes/zygotes (44.3%) or freezing of ovarian tissue (36%), whereas only 19.7% opted for no treatment/GnRH agonists. In married couples, the proportions were 28.9%, 31.1% and 40.0% respectively. Women without children also opted more frequently for invasive strategies, such as freezing of oocytes/zygotes (84.5%) or freezing of ovarian tissue (74.1%), and less frequently for no treatment/GnRH agonists (63.3%). Physical and psychological status, current and future fertility concerns and satisfaction with the counselling process were equal in all treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As fertility concerns and attitudes about the counselling process were independent from the fertility preservation procedure chosen, the preferred treatment can hardly be predicted and therefore all women should be counselled about all possible fertility preservation techniques.
authors.affiliation: University Women's Hospital, Division of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland. Electronic address: Michael.vonWolff@insel.ch.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Wolff
authors.affiliation: Hochtaunus-Kliniken Bad Homburg, Women's Hospital, Bad Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giesecke
authors.affiliation: University Women's Hospital, Division of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ariane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Germeyer
authors.affiliation: University Women's Hospital, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lawrenz
authors.affiliation: University Women's Hospital, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Henes
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infertility, Prenatal Medicine, Endocrinology and Osteology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nawroth
authors.affiliation: University Women's Hospital, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friebel
authors.affiliation: University Women's Hospital, University of Bonn, Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Gynaecological Psychosomatics, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.affiliation: Hochtaunus-Kliniken Bad Homburg, Women's Hospital, Bad Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giesecke
authors.affiliation: Hochtaunus-Kliniken Bad Homburg, Women's Hospital, Bad Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Denschlag
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cancer; Counselling; Fertility; Fertility preservation; Oocyte cryopreservation; Ovarian tissue cryopreservation