| Abstract [eng] |
Aim. This study aimed to determine the knowledge level of female patients’ parents and assess their attitudes towards fertility preservation. Materials and methods. In Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, 22 parents of childhood cancer patients and 51 parents of healthy gynecology clinic patients aged 1-17 years completed a questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes towards fertility preservation. The questionnaire consisted of 17 closed-ended questions. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistical Software. Results. Parents of childhood cancer patients had a higher level of knowledge on the 5-year survival rate (90.9% vs. 37.3%, p<0.001) and were better at evaluating the negative impact of radiotherapy on fertility (72.7% vs. 43.1%, p=0.024) compared to parents of healthy girls. Assessing the general knowledge, the median score of parents of childhood cancer patients was 4 of 13 (1-11), compared to the control group, 3 of 13 (0-10), p=0.046. In both groups, about one-third of surveyees were aware of fertility preservation. Only 23.8% of parents of childhood cancer patients would prefer fertility preservation methods before cancer treatment compared to the control group (52%, p=0.037). Conclusion. The knowledge on infertility risk and fertility preservation is poor, including among parents of childhood cancer patients. Inadequate education may affect mistrustful attitudes on fertility preservation methods. |
