Access to and utilization of fertility preservation among U.S. female adolescents and young adults with cancer ranges from 0.56% to 70.3%, according to a study published June 23 in Cancer.
Researchers from New York City-based Columbia University analyzed 25 studies from PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Embase published between May 1, 2006, and July 17, 2025, to assess fertility preservation access and completion.
Here are three things to know from the study:
- Across the 25 studies:
- Fertility preservation discussion rates ranged from 9% to 75%
- Rates of referrals to or consultations with a fertility specialist ranged from 0.9% to 57%
- Completion of fertility preservation procedures ranged from 0.56% to 70.3%
- Younger patients and patients with private insurance, no previous pregnancies, higher socioeconomic status, certain cancer types and more recent diagnoses were more likely to receive fertility preservation services.
Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic patients and patients with public insurance, lower income and who lived in rural or low-resource areas were less likely to receive fertility preservation services. - “Despite nearly two decades of clinical guidelines establishing FP care as a core component of high-quality oncology care, our findings reveal persistent and inequitable gaps in access shaped by demographic, socioeconomic and geographic factors,” the study authors wrote.
Read the full study here.
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