Parental Attitudes Toward Fertility Preservation in Female Adolescent Cancer Patients in Lebanon.

STUDY

OBJECTIVE

To measure parental attitudes toward fertility preservation (FP) in female adolescent cancer patients in a Middle Eastern country to understand barriers to decision-making and decisional conflicts.

DESIGN AND

SETTING

A questionnaire was distributed to parents of all female adolescents at a tertiary care center from February 2018 to September 2018.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 70 families.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parental attitudes toward FP.

RESULTS

The educational level of parents was associated with the knowledge about the side effects of treatment (P < .001). FP options were not offered to parents in 60/70 (85.6%) of cases. Oocyte cryopreservation was an acceptable option for 23/70 (32.9%) of interviewed parents who agreed on collecting the oocytes using vaginal ultrasound. The fear of disrupting the hymen was the main reason for disapproval in 20/70 (28.6%) of cases. The religious preference of the family was a significant factor in the acceptance of vaginal ultrasound and vaginal oocyte retrieval. The educational level of parents, the monthly income, and the current employment status were not linearly associated with their acceptance to approve their daughters' undergoing oocyte cryopreservation through the vaginal route (χ2 = 100.651; P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Parents are not aware of the effect of cancer treatment on future fertility of their daughters. Ethical, social, and religious barriers affect the decision-making for FP. However, a major interest exists among parents for FP, highlighting the importance of development of an oncofertility program, involving a multidisciplinary team to initiate proper counseling and guidance.