ABSTRACT
In 2013, approximately 11,630 U.S. children will be diagnosed with cancer before their 15th birthday (American Cancer Society, 2012). Concurrently a small group of parents will receive additional disturbing news that their adolescent daughters have been diagnosed with fertilitythreatening cancer. Such messages upend family life, as members confront the complicated and terrifying realm of treatment(s), often including radiation, chemotherapy, and/or surgery, and their side effects. Some parents learn that an experimental, fertility-preservation minor surgery, completed before cancer treatments commence, may protect their daughters’ fertility. Whereas cancer treatment decisions are heavily infl uenced by the medical team, fertility preservation decisions that address the patient’s potential future quality of life tend to be made by parents.
