Cancer and its treatments can damage a patient's fertility. When patients are already dealing with their own recoveries, planning for a child can only cause extra stress.
Northwestern hopes to simplify this process with a new Web site, MyOncofertility.org.
Launched last month, the site offers resources and information in the form of videos, animations and support sites about the options patients have to preserve fertility after a cancer diagnosis.
The site will expand to offer the opportunity for other survivors to share their stories in a YouTube-style format, said learning sciences Prof. Kemi Jona, director of the Learning Modules in Oncofertility project. In the meantime, personal stories can be submitted in text format, where they are approved and then posted on the site.
The site is a major component of the educational project of the Feinberg School of Medicine's national Oncofertility Consortium. The consortium is a $21 million program supported by the National Institutes of Health that studies the effects of cancer treatment on fertility.
The site is intended to help patients discuss their options with their doctors, Jona said. He held focus groups with cancer survivors this summer to learn what information they would have liked to know when they were diagnosed. Their input helped guide development of the site, he said.
The information on the site is presented in a branching Q&A format where one answer leads users to a host of other possible questions.
"When we designed the site, we made it so that it was very bite-sized so you never get more information than you ask for, because that's when you start to feel overwhelmed," he said. "You can go all the way from very basic to more complex at your own pace."
This information is grouped according to age, relationship to the patient and progression of the patient's cancer treatment, so users can tailor their own experience, Jona said.
There are more than 200 short informational videos on the site, in which experts answer a range of questions about treatment options. Many of the videos feature survivors speaking about their personal stories.
"The goal for MyOncofertility was to provide a network of information that could be authoritative and updated," said Dr. Teresa Woodruff, head of the Consortium.
By this time next year, the organization will launch another site to help educate physicians and medical staff about the relatively new field. Because some physicians do not consider fertility preservation in light of a cancer diagnosis, the aim is to encourage them to always provide information on fertility options to their patients, he said.
MyOncofertility.org also includes a phone number for patients to speak directly with an expert about their options, said Marybeth Gerrity, executive director. Although the site is a comprehensive introduction to fertility preservation, she said an in-person or phone consultation ensures the patient takes the right steps.
"Getting them that information at a time when they can think about it, read about it 24 hours a day while they're in the midst of this whole decision-making process is very key," Gerrity said.
s-berger@northwestern.edu
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!