Infertility Risk Perception Increased in Survivors of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 13, 2023 -- Survivors of adolescent and young adult cancer have higher rates of perceiving increased infertility risk but frequently overestimate or underestimate their risk, according to a study published online Oct. 11 in JAMA Network Open.
Hena Naz Din, Ph.D., from the University of California San Diego in La Jolla, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of female young adult survivors of cancer diagnosed between 15 and 39 years to examine whether estimated treatment gonadotoxicity and posttreatment menstrual pattern are associated with higher infertility risk perception. Data were included for 785 female participants.
The researchers found that 61.5 percent of the participants perceived a higher risk for infertility compared with female counterparts of their age. Higher odds of perceiving increased infertility risk were seen with prior exposure to moderate- or high- versus low-gonadotoxicity treatments (adjusted odds ratios [aORs], 2.73 and 15.39, respectively) and with amenorrhea and irregular cycles (aORs, 3.98 and 1.69, respectively). There was minimal agreement observed for perceived increased infertility risk with objective risk (κ = 0.19). Increased odds of underestimation were seen in association with multiparity (aOR, 4.17), while lower odds of underestimation were seen in association with older age, endocrine comorbidity, and prior infertility (aORs, 0.94, 0.35, and 0.16, respectively). Lower odds of overestimation were seen in association with multiparity, breast cancer, and skin cancer (aORs, 0.48, 0.38, and 0.24, respectively).
"Strategies to reduce misalignment between perceptions and actual risk are essential to reducing psychological distress and allow for better informed reproductive decisions for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2023
Read this next
Nudging Both Clinicians, Patients May Increase Serious Illness Conversations
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Combining clinician- and patient-directed nudges may help to promote serious illness conversations (SICs) in cancer care, according to a study published...
Perioperative Chemo Improves Progression-Free Survival in Pancreatic Cancer
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- For patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) may be increased with neoadjuvant...
Racial Differences Seen in Financial Hardship Among Older Cancer Survivors
MONDAY, July 1, 2024 -- Income and area-level disadvantage are the largest contributors to racial differences in financial hardship among older U.S. adults with cancer, according...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.