Improving Fertility Policy & Practice in BC/Yukon
Improving Fertility Policy & Practice in BC/Yukon
In Canada, over 8,300 young adults, age 15-39 are diagnosed with cancer each year and many face huge challenges regarding fertility including potential infertility from cancer treatment and regret for not considering fertility preservation prior to treatment.
In collaboration with young adults with lived experience of cancer and those who care for them (often referred to by us as cancer care allies – clinicians, care providers, families, researchers, and community organizations) we are working to fully explore and share the difficulties cancer poses to fertility, and are working toward positive systemic change including the development of supports and resources.
“But the fertility thing is like, you get the next day. You have the shortest window of time to do anything about it because you have to start chemo.”
-Young adult with lived experience with cancer.
Improving Fertility Policy & Practice
Anew is a founding member of BC’s Oncofertility Care Network bringing together young adults with lived experience of cancer with dedicated clinicians and researchers from BC Children's Hospital, BC Cancer, Vancouver General Hospital and UBC. Together, this group is working with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer to understand and address the barriers that often prevent young adults with cancer from receiving fertility counseling and preservation services.
In collaboration with our partners, we are working to:
Address fertility at individual, service and system levels
Ensure fertility services and resources are accessible to all patients receiving cancer diagnoses and treatments in BC and the Yukon offering supports and a referral care pathway to enhance equitable and timely access to information and fertility preservation services.
Reduce barriers to fertility preservation.
As part of this effort, Anew is applying creative, patient-centred, and participatory research methods to gain insight into the fertility challenges experienced by young adults with cancer; to identify the key needs and priorities to be addressed; and to co-design and pilot actions to improve cancer related fertility policy and practice in BC/Yukon.
An initial workshop with young adults, held September 2023, delved into both the strengths and weaknesses of current cancer related fertility practices including determining the subjects initial conversations with care providers should cover: timing, access to readily available expertise and supports - including from a diverse/intersectional lens - and much more.
A second workshop with young adults in March 2024 focused on co-designing effective fertility resources for those newly diagnosed with cancer in BC/Yukon. Plans are underway now to share these insights with clinicians and care providers throughout BC/Yukon and to gather details on their fertility practices and opportunities to improve care. We are bringing informed insight to the process and are excited to be moving forward.
Research partners: young adults, Royal Roads University, BC Cancer, BC Ministry of Health, BC Cancer Research, Young Adult Cancer Canada, BC SUPPORT Unit, Callanish Society, InspireHealth, the Innovation Support Unit at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Family Practice, BC Children’s Hospital, AYA CAN, AYA Priority Setting Partnership
This research is supported with funding from Royal Roads University, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Vancouver Foundation and Michael Smith Health Research BC.
