Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Bridgette Thom , Catherine Benedict , Danielle Novetsky Friedman , Debbie Diotallevi , Nirupa Jaya Raghunathan , Elaine Pottenger , Joanne Frankel Kelvin
Background: Infertility and early menopause are well-established late and long-term effects of many cancer treatments. Fertility preservation (FP) before (and in some cases after) treatment allows many survivors to achieve their family building goals despite gonadotoxic treatment. FP, however, is costly, and there is inconsistent, incomplete, or absent coverage across insurances. Furthermore, as many young survivors are un- or underinsured, disparities in referrals and service utilization have emerged. This presentation provides an overview of reproductive health care-related financial issues affecting young adult survivors, including cost of care, access to services, and relevant advocacy efforts, and highlights an analysis of the impact of income on FP decisions in a national sample of female survivors. Methods: We recruited female survivors aged 18-35 via social media and collected data using a web-based survey. Analyses included bivariate statistics and multiple logistic regression. Outcomes were receiving a fertility intervention (undergoing evaluation and/or fertility preservation of any sort) and freezing eggs/embryos before or after treatment. Results: 346 survivors, who were an average of 4.9 years (sd = 5.4) post-treatment, participated. 296 (86%) reported income: 35% <$50K; 39% $50K-100K; and 26% over 100K. Of 259 respondents who did not undergo FP, 27% reported cost as a barrier. In logistic regression, income was significantly related with receiving an intervention and freezing eggs/embryos. Controlling for age and nulliparity, high-income survivors were more likely to receive a fertility intervention (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.3, 6.9) and to freeze eggs/embryos (OR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.2, 9.5) than low-income survivors. Conclusions: Our findings of disparity in utilization of reproductive health care among cancer survivors were similar to the published literature, with income impacting respondents’ receipt of fertility intervention and freezing of eggs/embryos. Clinical interventions and policy initiatives must address this service gap. Health care providers can help ensure that cancer survivors have access to available financial resources to assist with cost to facilitate their reproductive health care.
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