Oncofertility and Fertility Preservation for Women with Gynecological Malignancies: Where Do We Stand Today?

Abstract

Oncofertility is a growing medical and research field that includes two main areas: oncology and reproductive medicine. Nowadays, the percentage of patients surviving cancer has exponentially increased, leading to the need for intervention for fertility preservation in both men and women. Specifically, gynecological malignancies in women pose an additional layer of complexity due to the reproductive organs being affected. In the present review, we report fertility preservation options with a cancer- and stage-specific focus. We explore the drawbacks and the necessity for planning fertility preservation applications during emergency statuses (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic) and comment on the importance of repro-counseling for multifaceted patients during their oncological and reproductive journey.

Keywords

• oncofertility
• gynecological malignancies
• cervical cancer
• endometrial cancer
• ovarian cancer
• repro-counseling