Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec;13(6):882-887.
doi: 10.1089/jayao.2024.0015. Epub 2024 Jun 21.

Cancer and Fertility: Exploring Uncertainty Management Strategies of Young Adult Female Survivors

Annemarie D Jagielo  1   2 , Alexandra M Davis  1   2 , Devon Pons  3 , Michael A Diefenbach  4 , Jennifer S Ford  5 , Lidia Schapira  6 , Catherine Benedict  2   6
Affiliations

Cancer and Fertility: Exploring Uncertainty Management Strategies of Young Adult Female Survivors

Annemarie D Jagielo et al. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

This study describes young adult female (YA-F) cancer survivors' uncertainty management strategies related to fertility/family building. Cross-sectional data were analyzed (n = 98). Participants reported higher rates of seeking information to reduce fertility-related uncertainty (M = 5.48, ±1.03), than avoiding information (M = 4.77, ±1.29). Controlling for relevant covariates (i.e., reproductive distress, household income, and health literacy), greater avoidance was related to higher reproductive distress (β = 0.293, p = 0.011) and lower household income (β = -0.281, p = 0.047). Evidence suggests that some survivors may avoid fertility-related information to manage uncertainty and distress, which may impact family-building success. Fertility avoidance may be an important target of intervention.

Keywords: fertility; infertility; oncofertility; psychosocial; survivorship.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Van Dijk M, Van Den Berg MH, Overbeek A, et al. . Reproductive intentions and use of reproductive health care among female survivors of childhood cancer. Hum Reprod 2018;33(6):1167–1174; doi: 10.1093/humrep/dey058 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Benedict C, Stal J, Davis A, et al. . Greater fertility distress and avoidance relate to poorer decision making about family building after cancer among adolescent and young adult female survivors. Psychooncology 2023;32(10):1606–1615; doi: 10.1002/pon.6212 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Van Dorp W, Haupt R, Anderson RA, et al. . Reproductive function and outcomes in female survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer: A review. J Clin Oncol 2018;36(21):2169–2180; doi: 10.1200/JCO.2017.76.3441 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brashers DE. Communication and uncertainty management. Journal of Communication 2001;51(3):477–497; doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2001.tb02892.x - DOI
    1. Peng W, Carcioppolo N, Occa A, et al. . Feel worried, overloaded, or fatalistic? the determinants of cancer uncertainty management preferences. Health Commun 2021;36(3):347–360; doi: 10.1080/10410236.2019.1692489 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources