Decision-making approach for oocyte and ovarian tissue preservation in gynecological oncology

Abstract

An increasing number of women in the last decades are delaying childbearing beyond the age of 35, and gynecologic cancers affect a significant proportion of reproductive age women who wish to maintain fertility for a future opportunity of childbearing. As a result, providing treatment options for fertility preservation in women with gynecologic cancer has become an important component of cancer survivorship care. Loss of fertility is considered one of the most significant effects of cancer treatment and this concern is an additional stress factor among women of reproductive age. Modern chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy regimens have a substantial negative effect on reproduction. Chemotherapy drugs exert cytotoxic effects systematically and so that, can damage the ovaries, leading to infertility and premature ovarian failure. Radiation is harmful to both the ovaries and uterus, as a result of that causing a greater magnitude of adverse effect on the female reproductive function. In this chapter, we discussed the current knowledge on the decision-making approach for oocyte and ovarian tissue preservation in women with gynecological cancer.