What are the emotional aspects of discussing fertility with people who have cancer?

I try to make sure that every patient knows what their options are and we try to tailor that to their individual needs, their individual wants, their cancer diagnosis, their cancer treatment, their prognosis. We try to make sure that they’re informed. On an emotional level, I try to be there with them for all of this, to walk them through. “You’ve just been diagnosed with cancer.” I never forget that piece of this. This is the whole reason why this patient has come to me is because they’ve been diagnosed with cancer, and because their fertility is going to be threatened possibly because of their treatment.

So, I try to walk with that patient whether it’s a man or a woman, and try to say, “This is hard. This is really hard. You’ve just been diagnosed with cancer and now we’re telling you that you might not be able to have children in the future. How are you feeling about this?” So, I try to have a very frank discussion with them and try to be as open and supportive as I can, giving them realistic options and trying to make sure that they’re able to meet with the experts that they need to as quickly as they possibly can.