A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation

doi:10.1007/s10815-022-02570-5

Review

. 2022 Aug;39(8):1693-1712.

doi: 10.1007/s10815-022-02570-5. Epub 2022 Jul 23.

A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation

L M Ataman¹, M M Laronda^{2

3}, M Gowett¹, K Trotter¹, H Anvari¹, F Fei¹, A Ingram¹, M Minette¹, C Suebthawinkul¹, Z Taghvaei¹, M Torres-Vélez¹, K Velez¹, S K Adiga⁴, A Anazodo^{5

6}, L Appiah⁷, M T Bourlon⁸, N Daniels⁹, M M Dolmans^{10

11}, C Finlayson¹², R B Gilchrist⁶, V Gomez-Lobo¹³, E Greenblatt¹⁴, J A Halpern¹⁵, K Hutt¹⁶, E K Johnson^{15

17}, K Kawamura¹⁸, M Khrouf¹⁹, D Kimelman²⁰, S Kristensen²¹, R T Mitchell²², M B Moravek^{23

24}, L Nahata^{25

26}, K E Orwig²⁷, M E Pavone²⁸, D Pépin²⁹, R Pesce³⁰, G P Quinn³¹, M P Rosen³², E Rowell³³, K Smith²⁸, C Venter³⁴, S Whiteside³⁵, S Xiao³⁶, M Zelinski³⁷, K N Goldman¹, T K Woodruff³⁸, F E Duncan³⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street, Lurie 7-117, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
² Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁴ Department of Clinical Embryology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
⁵ Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
⁸ Hemato-Oncology Department, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas Y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
⁹ The Oncology and Fertility Centres of Ekocorp, Eko Hospitals, Lagos, Nigeria.
¹⁰ Gynecology Research Unit, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale Et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Av. Mounier 52, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
¹¹ Department of Gynecology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Av. Hippocrate 10, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
¹² Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹³ Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
¹⁴ University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹⁵ Department of Urology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹⁶ Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
¹⁷ Division of Urology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
¹⁹ FERTILLIA, Clinique la Rose, Tunis, Tunisia.
²⁰ Centro de Esterilidad Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.
²¹ Department of Fertility, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
²² Department of Developmental Endocrinology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
²³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
²⁴ Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
²⁵ Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
²⁶ Endocrinology and Center for Biobehavioral Health, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
²⁷ Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
²⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
²⁹ Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
³⁰ Reproductive Medicine Unit, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
³¹ Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Medical Ethics, Population Health, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
³² Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
³³ Department of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
³⁴ Vitalab, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³⁵ Fertility & Reproductive Health Program, Department of Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
³⁶ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Environmental Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
³⁷ Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR, USA.
³⁸ Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
³⁹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street, Lurie 7-117, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA. f-duncan@northwestern.edu.

PMID: 35870095
PMCID: PMC9307970
DOI: 10.1007/s10815-022-02570-5

Review

A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation

L M Ataman et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 Aug.

. 2022 Aug;39(8):1693-1712.

doi: 10.1007/s10815-022-02570-5. Epub 2022 Jul 23.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street, Lurie 7-117, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
² Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁴ Department of Clinical Embryology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
⁵ Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
⁸ Hemato-Oncology Department, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas Y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
⁹ The Oncology and Fertility Centres of Ekocorp, Eko Hospitals, Lagos, Nigeria.
¹⁰ Gynecology Research Unit, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale Et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Av. Mounier 52, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
¹¹ Department of Gynecology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Av. Hippocrate 10, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
¹² Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹³ Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
¹⁴ University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹⁵ Department of Urology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹⁶ Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
¹⁷ Division of Urology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
¹⁹ FERTILLIA, Clinique la Rose, Tunis, Tunisia.
²⁰ Centro de Esterilidad Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.
²¹ Department of Fertility, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
²² Department of Developmental Endocrinology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
²³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
²⁴ Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
²⁵ Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
²⁶ Endocrinology and Center for Biobehavioral Health, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
²⁷ Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
²⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
²⁹ Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
³⁰ Reproductive Medicine Unit, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
³¹ Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Medical Ethics, Population Health, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
³² Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
³³ Department of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
³⁴ Vitalab, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³⁵ Fertility & Reproductive Health Program, Department of Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
³⁶ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Environmental Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
³⁷ Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR, USA.
³⁸ Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
³⁹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street, Lurie 7-117, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA. f-duncan@northwestern.edu.

PMID: 35870095
PMCID: PMC9307970
DOI: 10.1007/s10815-022-02570-5

Erratum in

Correction to: A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation.
Ataman LM, Laronda MM, Gowett M, Trotter K, Anvari H, Fei F, Ingram A, Minette M, Suebthawinkul C, Taghvaei Z, Torres-Vélez M, Velez K, Adiga SK, Anazodo A, Appiah L, Bourlon MT, Daniels N, Dolmans MM, Finlayson C, Gilchrist RB, Gomez-Lobo V, Greenblatt E, Halpern JA, Hutt K, Johnson EK, Kawamura K, Khrouf M, Kimelman D, Kristensen S, Mitchell RT, Moravek MB, Nahata L, Orwig KE, Pavone ME, Pépin D, Pesce R, Quinn GP, Rosen MP, Rowell E, Smith K, Venter C, Whiteside S, Xiao S, Zelinski M, Goldman KN, Woodruff TK, Duncan FE. Ataman LM, et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 Aug;39(8):1713-1714. doi: 10.1007/s10815-022-02586-x. Epub 2022 Aug 3. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022. PMID: 35920992 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Since 2007, the Oncofertility Consortium Annual Conference has brought together a diverse network of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and professional levels to disseminate emerging basic and clinical research findings in fertility preservation. This network also developed enduring educational materials to accelerate the pace and quality of field-wide scientific communication. Between 2007 and 2019, the Oncofertility Consortium Annual Conference was held as an in-person event in Chicago, IL. The conference attracted approximately 250 attendees each year representing 20 countries around the world. In 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this paradigm and precluded an in-person meeting. Nevertheless, there remained an undeniable demand for the oncofertility community to convene. To maintain the momentum of the field, the Oncofertility Consortium hosted a day-long virtual meeting on March 5, 2021, with the theme of "Oncofertility Around the Globe" to highlight the diversity of clinical care and translational research that is ongoing around the world in this discipline. This virtual meeting was hosted using the vFairs ® conference platform and allowed over 700 people to participate, many of whom were first-time conference attendees. The agenda featured concurrent sessions from presenters in six continents which provided attendees a complete overview of the field and furthered our mission to create a global community of oncofertility practice. This paper provides a synopsis of talks delivered at this event and highlights the new advances and frontiers in the fields of oncofertility and fertility preservation around the globe from clinical practice and patient-centered efforts to translational research.

Keywords: Cancer; Fertility preservation; Oncofertility.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Graphs illustrating the growth of the conference in terms of A number of participants and B numbers of countries represented. The number of countries represented is based on self-reported registration information. The change to a virtual format increased overall participation and accessibility. (Note there was no conference in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

**Fig. 2**
A map of countries represented by attendees at the 2021 Oncofertility Around the Globe meeting

**Fig. 3**
Graphs illustrating the self-reported demographic data from conference attendees from 2012–2021 including A race and B ethnicity/origin. All data was self-reported and collected at the time of conference registration. Race and ethnicity were not required fields on the data registration form. Percentages are calculated based on individuals who completed these fields on their registrations. Calculations were based on the following number of responses per year: 2012: 97; 2013: 112; 2014: 151; 2015: 186; 2016: 219; 2017: 204; 2018: 200; 2019: 231; 2021: 663

See this image and copyright information in PMC

Cited by

Establishing oncofertility care in limited resource settings: a narrative review.
Kimelman D, Ozimek N. Kimelman D, et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2025 Feb;42(2):647-653. doi: 10.1007/s10815-025-03392-x. Epub 2025 Jan 22. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2025. PMID: 39841345 Review.
Pediatric oncofertility care in limited versus optimum resource settings: results from 39 surveyed centers in Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II.
Salama M, Nahata L, Jayasinghe Y, Gomez-Lobo V, Laronda MM, Moravek MB, Meacham LR, Christianson MS, Lambertini M, Anazodo A, Quinn GP, Woodruff TK. Salama M, et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023 Mar;40(3):443-454. doi: 10.1007/s10815-022-02679-7. Epub 2022 Dec 21. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023. PMID: 36542312 Free PMC article.
Recent advances in the study of reproductive function in pediatric patients with brain tumors.
Zhang R, Liu L, Dai X, Ju Y, Ren Y. Zhang R, et al. Front Pediatr. 2025 Jul 10;13:1625359. doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1625359. eCollection 2025. Front Pediatr. 2025. PMID: 40708904 Free PMC article. Review.
Oncofertility awareness among primary care physicians in India.
Tholeti P, Uppangala S, Jayaram RK, Udupa KS, Kalthur G, Spears N, Woodruff T, Adiga SK. Tholeti P, et al. F1000Res. 2023 Sep 28;12:153. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.126232.2. eCollection 2023. F1000Res. 2023. PMID: 37767024 Free PMC article.
Ethical, legal, social, and policy issues of ovarian tissue cryopreservation in prepubertal girls: a critical interpretive review.
Affdal AO, Salama M, Ravitsky V. Affdal AO, et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2024 Apr;41(4):999-1026. doi: 10.1007/s10815-024-03059-z. Epub 2024 Mar 2. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2024. PMID: 38430324 Free PMC article. Review.

See all "Cited by" articles

References

1. Woodruff TK. Oncofertility: a grand collaboration between reproductive medicine and oncology. Reproduction. 2015;150(3):S1–10. doi: 10.1530/REP-15-0163. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Armstrong GT, et al. Reduction in late mortality among 5-year survivors of childhood cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(9):833–842. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1510795. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Armstrong GT, Yasui Y, Robison LL. Reduction in late mortality after childhood cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(3):290–292. - PubMed
1. Weir HK, et al. The past, present, and future of cancer incidence in the United States: 1975 through 2020. Cancer. 2015;121(11):1827–1837. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29258. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Cox CL, et al. Noncancer-related mortality risks in adult survivors of pediatric malignancies: the childhood cancer survivor study. J Cancer Surviv. 2014;8(3):460–471. doi: 10.1007/s11764-014-0353-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Actions

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
Medical
- MedlinePlus Health Information

[1] Woodruff TK. Oncofertility: a grand collaboration between reproductive medicine and oncology. Reproduction. 2015;150(3):S1–10. doi: 10.1530/REP-15-0163. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Woodruff TK. Oncofertility: a grand collaboration between reproductive medicine and oncology. Reproduction. 2015;150(3):S1–10. doi: 10.1530/REP-15-0163. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Armstrong GT, et al. Reduction in late mortality among 5-year survivors of childhood cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(9):833–842. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1510795. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Armstrong GT, et al. Reduction in late mortality among 5-year survivors of childhood cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(9):833–842. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1510795. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Armstrong GT, Yasui Y, Robison LL. Reduction in late mortality after childhood cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(3):290–292. - PubMed

[6] Armstrong GT, Yasui Y, Robison LL. Reduction in late mortality after childhood cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(3):290–292. - PubMed

[7] Weir HK, et al. The past, present, and future of cancer incidence in the United States: 1975 through 2020. Cancer. 2015;121(11):1827–1837. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29258. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Weir HK, et al. The past, present, and future of cancer incidence in the United States: 1975 through 2020. Cancer. 2015;121(11):1827–1837. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29258. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] Cox CL, et al. Noncancer-related mortality risks in adult survivors of pediatric malignancies: the childhood cancer survivor study. J Cancer Surviv. 2014;8(3):460–471. doi: 10.1007/s11764-014-0353-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[10] Cox CL, et al. Noncancer-related mortality risks in adult survivors of pediatric malignancies: the childhood cancer survivor study. J Cancer Surviv. 2014;8(3):460–471. doi: 10.1007/s11764-014-0353-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation

Affiliations

A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation

Authors

Affiliations

Erratum in

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical