Jennifer Levine, MD, Columbia University Medical Center, discusses fertility issues that adult survivors of childhood cancer often face.

Many survivors of childhood cancer worry about the long term fertility issues that occur as a result of their treatment years ago. In women, there are two forms of fertility loss in this cohort: acute ovarian failure, which happens right after the end of treatment, and premature menopause, which can happen years after treatment. Levine stresses that it is important to figure out who is at risk for premature menopause to help guide them in when they should either attempt pregnancy or fertility preservation. Right now, there is no way to accurately predict when a survivor will go into menopause.

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Jennifer Levine on Fertility Challenges in Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Jennifer Levine, MD, Columbia University Medical Center, discusses the effects of early menopause on survivors of childhood cancer.

Fertility issues often come as one of the long-term effects of being treated for childhood cancer. Specifically, many women experience premature menopause. In a study, Levine compared pregnancy rates of those who experienced childhood cancer and those who did not and found that between the ages of 21 and 30, the pregnancy rates were practically identical. However, after 30, the pregnancy rates of women who were treated for cancer decreased significantly.

Jennifer Levine, MD

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Jennifer Levine on Fertility Challenges in Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Jennifer Levine on the Impact of Premature Menopause