Talking about the fertility preservation decision with others

Some young women find that talking to others about their cancer diagnosis and fertility preservation is helpful.

Here are some things you may want to talk about:

• Making difficult decisions. Expressing your feelings.
• How to manage your feelings.
• The effects of cancer and fertility on your relationships.
• Anxiety and stress.
• How to cope with your cancer and fertility treatments

Finding the best support for you can mean that you are able to manage some of these emotional challenges. You can choose different ways to feel supported. These could include:

• Finding out about all the options available.
• Writing down your thoughts and reasons for your decisions.
• Thinking about who you want to help you with your decision making. It could be your partner, family, friends, a nurse or doctor – or someone else.
• Talking with a counsellor, either on your own on with someone else. You may find counsellors in the cancer and fertility clinics. Some other counselling services are listed in our information section.
• Talking with other people who have had similar experiences to you. Some support organisations are listed in our information section. Sometimes you may not want to talk about cancer and fertility. It’s fine to not want to talk about it and fine to tell people. Maybe say something like “I know you’re just asking because you care but, just now, I’d really like to talk about what I watched on TV last night.”