Psychosocial Impact of Cancer-Related Female Infertility

Women from the M. D. Anderson tumor registry who were diagnosed from 1992 to 1997 with invasive cervical cancer, breast cancer, Hodgkin's disease, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma will be asked to participate. Researchers have chosen these types of cancers because they are the most common cancers in women of reproductive age. In addition, many of the standard treatments for these diseases have the potential to cause infertility.

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete a survey over the phone. Topics that will be addressed by the survey include demographic information (such as age, sex, etc.), medical information, health-related quality of life, emotional distress, and stress related to interrupted childbearing. Some other topics include anxiety related to the impact of cancer on childbearing, menopausal symptoms, spiritual well-being, relationship happiness, sexual satisfaction, and attitudes about parenthood after cancer. The phone survey should take around 90 minutes to complete.

If you feel distressed at any time during or after your participation in this study, you will be given a referral for professional counseling.

THIS IS AN INVESTIGATIONAL STUDY.

Up to 2091 women will be invited to participate in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.

Inclusion criteria

• Women must be survivors of breast cancer, cervical cancer, Hodgkin's Disease, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. (We have chosen these three sites because they are the most common malignancies in women of reproductive age that have reasonable rates of long-term survival. In addition, many of the standard treatments for these malignancies impair fertility.)
• Women must have been diagnosed before the age of 41, i.e., of childbearing age at the time of diagnosis and/or beyond.
• Women must be at least age 14 currently to participate, because of the concern that younger girls may not be emotionally mature enough to have considered the emotional aspects of infertility, and may also not have full knowledge about reproduction.
• Women must must have been diagnosed between the years of 1993-1998, making them, roughly 5- to 10-year survivors.
• We are not going to exclude women based on cancer stage or treatment status, as long as they have survived for 5 to 10 years.

Exclusion criteria

• Women's fluency in English must be adequate to complete the interview (approximately 6th grade level).