Addressing fertility preservation for young cancer patients
Posted by on September 11, 2012 - 8:59am

Oncofertility is an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of oncology and reproductive medicine that expands fertility options for young cancer survivors. Experts in this field identify which cancer treatments are likely to damage later reproductive ability for men, women, and children and develop new fertility preservation methods. In addition, these scientists are also identifying cancer treatments that may be “fertoprotective” and prevent damage to the reproductive organs during cancer treatment. Every year, experts in this field meet to discuss the recent advances in oncofertility scientific and medical treatment. The sixth annual conference is September 27 - 28, 2012 in Chicago, IL.

The program for this two-day conference on fertility after cancer features translational and clinical research on fertility preservation, lessons learned from individual fertility preservation programs, a speech and special performance by the founder of the adolescent and young adult cancer advocacy group, Stupid Cancer, and a Keynote Symposium by Hamish Wallace, MD (Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh). During the two days of the conference, more than 20 invited speakers from across the globe will present cutting-edge information to attendees.

Health care providers will be provided with CME or nursing contact hours at no additional cost. For more information or to register for the conference, visit the website at http://bit.ly/oncofert12 or email oncofertility@northwestern.edu. The 2012 Oncofertility Conference is funded by the NIH (Grant 5R13HD063248-03), and an unrestricted educational grant from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

To learn more about fertility and cancer, visit SaveMyFertility.org and download the free iPhone app.

 

High School Girls Focus on Science
Posted by on February 11, 2011 - 10:57am

This weekend, the Oncofertility Consortium, along with the Institute for Women's Health Research, is hosting the fifth annual Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.  OSA is an informal science education program designed to expose high school girls to the wonders of science and medicine through hands-on and experiential activities.  These high school girls come from the Young Women's Leadership Charter School, on the near south side of Chicago.  Through a rigorous application program, 16 juniors and 16 seniors are selected to participate in OSA.  Tomorrow, the juniors will participate in rotations in the Woodruff Lab, learning about cutting-edge fertility preservation techniques.  Additionally, the juniors will be paired with students in the new Physician Assistant Program at Northwestern University, who will lead a workshop on birth control and STD prevention.  The seniors will be paired with medical students for "Doctor for a Day."  Each student will learn how to administer a basic exam and will gain exposure to the medical field.  Both juniors and seniors will conclude the day by hearing the story of a cancer patient survivor's quest to preserve her fertility.

To learn more about this innovative high school program click HERE.  The term "oncofertility" was coined by Dr. Teresa K. Woodruff at Northwestern to describe the merging of two disciplines:   oncology and fertility preservation.  Many cancer treatments result in infertility and her research has focused on ways to preserve fertility in young women with cancer.

New Book on Oncofertility Available
Posted by on October 8, 2010 - 10:44am

Dr. Teresa Woodruff, Director of the Institute for Women's Health Research at Northwestern, and her colleagues have just released their second book on oncofertility.    Oncofertility is a new field of study named by Dr. Woodruff who is a leader in the study of fertility preservation in women who have lost their fertility due to cancer therapies and other conditions that threaten their ability to conceive and bear children.  The issue of fertility preservation is of particular concern to young breast cancer survivors and their health care team.   To learn more about this book and where to find it read below.

The Oncofertility Consortium® is pleased to announce that the second volume of its Oncofertility series is now available on Amazon.com!

Fertility preservation is an emerging field not only in the basic and clinical sciences, but also in the social sciences and humanities.  Oncofertility: Ethical, Legal, Social, and Medical Perspectives offers insights by experts and scholars in bioethics, philosophy, religion, communication, and history, who tackled questions such as,
“What are the Jewish, Muslim, and Catholic perspectives on oncofertility?”
“What barriers to adoption do couples with a history of cancer face?”
“What decisionmaking processes do families undergo when considering fertility preservation?”

Purchase your copy of this one-of-a-kind book to discover the answers to these questions and to learn more!

Complete your Oncofertility collection with the first volume, Oncofertility: Fertility Preservation for Cancer Survivors, also available on Amazon.com!