| Improvements in survival rates for cancer patients have expanded the focus of care to include information about the long-term affects of treatment, including infertility. Fertility issues are ranked as important by cancer patients, yet surveys of oncologists suggest that many patients do not receive adequate counseling on this topic. Genetic counselors, with their training in education and decision-making assistance, could be a valuable addition to multidisciplinary oncofertility teams by incorporating this topic into their current practice. A survey was developed to explore genetic counselors' interest in fertility preservation counseling and to determine how comfortable counselors would be discussing fertility preservation. Overall, counselors were open to the idea of incorporating oncofertility into their practice, although they indicated that further education on the topic is necessary. The development of an educational tool and follow-up research on use are required to fully assess the effectiveness of genetic counselors in discussing fertility preservation. |
