More work must be done to more clearly illustrate in plain language the differences in the use of ART in the oncofertility setting (e.g., for infertility) versus social egg freezing.ĭouglas P. With the increasing demand for social egg freezing, there is the concern that the cost of fertility preservation will increase for all patients, including oncofertility patients. 366 Given low health and science literacy rates among the public, people may not be able to immediately understand the different reasons for fertility preservation in cancer patients versus healthy women who are concerned about age-related infertility, especially since the same technologies are used in each setting. 365 In the past few years, social egg freezing by women who want to delay childbearing has received a great deal of news media attention. Many in the public also have difficulty distinguishing between the use of ART for fertility preservation in cancer patients and the use of ART for fertility preservation to avoid age-related infertility-what has been called social egg freezing. 363 Clearly classifying oncofertility as part of the cancer treatment plan would help establish the difference between oncofertility and infertility treatments, as well as improve access to and insurance coverage for ART procedures specifically in the oncofertility setting. Unfortunately, these two categories are often conflated, leading to a similar exclusion of oncofertility procedures from insurance coverage as a form of infertility treatment. Unlike patients who seek treatment for infertility, oncofertility patients have anticipated iatrogenic infertility that is directly related to their lifesaving cancer treatment.
It is important to recognize the differences between oncofertility patients and patients with traditional infertility. Shlomo Melmed MB ChB, MACP, in Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, 2020 Distinguishing Between Oncofertility, Infertility, and Social Egg FreezingĪlthough oncofertility involves the same ART procedures used for infertility treatment, oncofertility is specifically focused on the needs young patients with cancer whose future fertility is threatened by the cancer or its treatment.