Improving Fertility Care & Resources in BC/Yukon
Improving Fertility Care & Resources in BC/Yukon
In Canada, over 9,200 young adults, age 15-39 are diagnosed with cancer each year and many face key 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 (clinicians, care providers, families, researchers and community organizations) we are working to fully explore and share the difficulties cancer poses to fertility, and to improve access to timely fertility care and effective resources.
New Fertility Resources
The following, published Spring 2025, were co-developed with young adults and clinicians:
“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
With support from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Anew is working with young adults and dedicated clinicians from BC Cancer, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital and UBC to understand and address the barriers that often prevent young adults with cancer from receiving fertility counseling and preservation services.
Together, 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/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 applied 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.
We held workshops with young adults delving into the strengths and weaknesses of cancer related fertility practices and co-designing effective fertility resources for those newly diagnosed with cancer in BC/Yukon. We also met with clinicians and care providers to gather details on their fertility practices and opportunities to improve care 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.
