Fertility Preservation: Improving Access Through Nurse-Advocated Financial Assistance

Background: Young adult patients and survivors may face impaired fertility or infertility as a result of their cancer treatment, and many will need costly assisted reproductive technology to build their families. Fertility nurse specialists (FNSs) can play a role in alleviating the distress associated with the co-occurrence of financial toxicity and impaired fertility/infertility.

Objectives: This article describes a nurse-led oncofertility program that offers counseling to patients of any age, with any diagnosis, and at any stage of treatment.

Methods: An overview of the literature and a description of a clinical practice, including relevant case studies, are presented.

Findings: FNSs can seek to lessen the financial burden associated with family building before and after cancer treatment by developing a network of reproductive specialists who will provide discounted services and by sharing information on available resources that might reduce the costs.