| Poor knowledge among oncologists regarding fertility preservation (FP) |
1. Establish oncofertility clinics involving oncologists and reproductive medicine (RM) clinicians |
| o To plan FP procedures for patients in need. |
| o To discuss the type of cancer, survival rate, risk of gonadotoxicity from cancer therapy, desire for fertility preservation, time available, physical and medical fitness of patient to undergo FP procedure. |
| 2.
Organize FP seminars and continued medical education (CME) and produce leaflets so that information can be disseminated to cancer clinicians at a national level. |
| Lack of time |
Involvement of RM clinicians/fellows to counsel patients at the time of initial diagnosis so that reproductive concerns may be taken care of. |
| o Other staff such as social workers and nurses can be trained to discuss fertility issues with patients. They may counsel patients in preliminary interviews and refer patients in need. |
| Financial concerns |
The procedure of gamete/embryo cryopreservation may be available at minimum or free of cost to patients, especially for those unable to bear the cost of the procedures. |
| Patient concerns |
Detailed patient counseling by the oncologist and RM clinician at the time of cancer diagnosis to allow timely referral, so that patient and family concerns are addressed and FP is performed without delaying cancer treatment. |
| Building awareness at a national level |
Use social media platforms to provide an easy and approachable network to manage these patients. Support of professional societies and national bodies can be sought to organize conferences at a national level for wider dissemination of information. |
| Bridging the gap between cancer and fertility |
Establish an Oncofertility Consortium |
| o Multidisciplinary team comprising medical specialists (e.g., oncologists, hematologists, reproductive endocrinologists, urologists, surgeons, pathologists) and healthcare staff including nurses and genetic, mental health and social counselors, and the embryology/andrology lab team |
| o Establishing and maintaining communication between the various stakeholders |