Increasing Equitable Access to Fertility Preservation Care in AYAs with a New Cancer Diagnosis

Providing hope and equitable opportunities for complete fertility preservation procedures

Full Project Name:Increasing Equitable Access to Fertility Preservation Care in AYAs with a New Cancer DiagnosisPrincipal Investigator:Stephanie Gunderson, MD, Obstetrics & GynecologyAward Amount:$41,587

Award Date

January2024

Project Duration:12 months

Project Summary:

Fertility preservation services are crucial for individuals interested in having children but whose fertility can be impacted by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. The American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests all patients of childbearing age be offered fertility preservation services. However, there are currently low-referral rates for fertility preservation services among adolescent and youth adults (AYA) diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15 and 39, especially among black and Hispanic individuals in low-resource, non-urban settings, as well as among patients who have small children.

In this project, researchers will investigate the risk of infertility for AYA patients with a new cancer diagnosis and assess the biases associated with not referring patients to fertility preservation services at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin (FMCW). Ultimately, this project will lead to educating FMCW providers on available fertility preservation services and improve the referral process for those services.

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Created a best practice alert in the electronic medical record to allow for additional reminders for cancer clinicians to discuss fertility preservation services with adolescent and young adult patients with cancer.
Placed QR codes in every exam room in the Cancer Center and its affiliate that linked to fertility preservation videos that were created by Dr. Gunderson.
Created education materials for the cancer clinicians regarding fertility preservation services at the Medical College of Wisconsin for clinicians to review and answer questions regarding their practice patterns and barriers to having fertility preservation conversations with their patients, which allows the project team to continue their work in making fertility preservation services more accessible at the Medical College of Wisconsin.