In recent years, technological advances in the area of oncology have offered treatment to patients increasing the expectation of a better life. Young cancer patients, who often had a grim future, can now look forward to being cured of their disease. However, this development has not always prevented the loss of reproductive health caused by the surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, frequently used in the cure of these patients. Experts in Oncology and Hematology should be aware of the existence of techniques that can preserve fertility and be able to discuss this matter with their patients prior to treatment. New fertility preservation techniques such as oocyte freezing, ovarian and testicular fragment freezing, and other established techniques such as sperm and embryo cryopreservation when associated with assisted fertilization, open the prospect of pregnancy after treatment. Thus, no longer does the desire to have children need to be a frustration but can be a viable reality for patients undergoing oncological treatments.
Fertility preservation; assisted reproduction; oocyte freezing; oncology