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Facing the unknown: uncertain fertility in young adult survivors of childhood cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to describe the challenges young adult childhood cancer survivors (ACCS) experience of living with an unknown fertility status.

Methods

In this qualitative study, we analyzed data from in-depth interviews with 25 ACCS (15 females, 10 males) using content-driven inductive thematic analysis and constant comparative techniques.

Results

Three themes provide insight into ACCS’ experiences of living with an uncertain fertility status. (1) The marked psychological burden, which included fear, worry, anxiety, and sadness, was ubiquitous. (2) Romantic relationships were negatively affected and entailed fear of disappointing one’s partner, the difficulty of discussing fertility issues, and shying away from romantic relationships. (3) Communication challenges with healthcare providers were apparent across the cancer trajectory, made worse by provider knowledge gaps and dismissal of fertility concerns. (4) Well-known gender stereotypes about pregnancy and childrearing were replicated, while the emotional and life impacts that uncertain fertility could exert on males were minimized.

Conclusion

This study provides beginning insights into the experiences of young ACCS as they navigate an unknown fertility status and highlights existing gaps in fertility-related healthcare services.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Uncertain fertility has implications for survivors’ wellbeing that remain poorly addressed by the existing structure of cancer survivor and fertility services. Assessing and addressing the fertility-related needs of ACCS will continue to be a vital component of patient-centered care in the future, and research to develop comprehensive support, resources, and processes of care are vital to meet this priority need.

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Funding

Ms. Kelly Newton received a Studentship Award from the Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control to conduct this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, The University of British Columbia, T201–2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada

    Kelly Newton, A. Fuchsia Howard, Sally Thorne & Mary T. Kelly

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada

    Karen Goddard

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  1. Kelly Newton
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  2. A. Fuchsia Howard
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  4. Mary T. Kelly
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Correspondence to A. Fuchsia Howard.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Newton, K., Howard, A.F., Thorne, S. et al. Facing the unknown: uncertain fertility in young adult survivors of childhood cancer. J Cancer Surviv 15, 54–65 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-020-00910-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-020-00910-x

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