Every summer, Teresa Woodruff sends out a summer reading list to the people in her lab. Because there isn’t much of a global perspective on Oncofertility yet, this year’s theme is “Global Perspectives on Reproduction” to prepare, hopefully, to create partnerships with the World Health Organization and other global health organizations.

The reading list will provide a foundation and an entry-point into the existing literature and includes some of the recent papers from the Oncofertility Consortium and, of course, the Oncofertility book by Teresa Woodruff (recently reviewed in the journal Fertility and Sterility — see blog entry dated June 4th).

Here is a copy of Teresa’s list:

1. Woodruff, Teresa K. and Snyder, Karrie Ann Sr.  Oncofertility: Fertility Preservation for Cancer Survivors.  Springer, 2007.

2. Inhorn, Monica C and Van Balen, Frank.  Infertility Around the Globe: New Thinking on Childlessness, Gender, and Reproductive Technologies.   University of California Press, 2002.

3. Ginsburb, Faye D and Rapp, Ranya.  Conceiving the New World Order: The Global Politics of Reproduction.  University of California Press, 1995.

4. Edwards, Jeanette; Franklin, Sarah; Hirsch, Eric; Price, Francis; and Strathern, Marilyn.  Technologies of Procreation: Kinship in the Age of Assisted Conception.  Routledge, 1999.

5. Ellison, Peter T.  On Fertile Ground: A Natural History of Human Reproduction.  Harvard University Press, 2001.

6. Runowicz, Carolyn D., Petrek, Jeanne A. and Gansler, Ted S.  Women in Cancer: A Thorough and Compassionate Resource for Patients and Their Families.

7. Heiney, Sue P., Hermann, Joan F., Bruss, Katherine V., and Fincannon, Joy L..  Cancer in the Family: Helping Children Cope with a Parent’s Illness.  2001.

8. Eyre, Harmon J., Lange, Diane Partie, and Morris, Lois B.  Informed Decision: The Complete Book of Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery.   Viking, 1997.

9. Shenfield, Francoise and Sureau, Claude.  Contemporary Ethical Dilemmas in Assisted Reproduction.  Informahealthcare, 2006.

The MyOncofertility Web site is now listed on The Hormone Foundation’s Web site in the “Useful Links” section, under the Public/Patients tab.

The Hormone Foundation is a rich source of hormone-related health information and targets for not only doctors and organizations, but patients and the general public too.

The MyOncofertility site will now be an addred resource for those people seeking information, and can help the Foundation uphold its mission “to serve as a resource for the public by promoting the prevention, treatment and cure of hormone-related conditions through outreach and education.”

The Foundation works directly with The Endocrine Society and its members to make information about hormones and endocrine diseases readily accessible and available to everyone.

To check out the page with the MyOncofertility Web site link, go to: Useful Links.

On March 10th, Time Magazine published an article that mentioned both Dr. Silber, a member of the Oncofertility Consortium, and a journal article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A Hope to Prolong Fertility: Ovarian Transplants describes the choices faced by Stephanie Yarber, one of Dr. Silber’s patients. Yarber was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure at 14 and opted to try an ovarian transplant.

The article also mentions “Preservation of Fertility in Patients with Cancer” by Dr. Jeruss and Teresa Woodruff.

I’m a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and, if I’m not mistaken, the newest member of the Woodruff Laboratory. Originally from Montreal (Quebec, Canada), I received my B.Sc. (Physiology) and Ph.D. (Pharmacology and Therapeutics) from McGill University. With a background in teratology (birth defects research) and developmental biology, I have much to learn about women’s health and fertility. However, while I have yet to reach the two-month mark in the lab, I feel like I’ve hit the ground running. My work will ultimately examine how (1) aberrant exposure of specific environmental toxicants and (2) experimental models of polycystic ovarian syndrome disrupt fertility. Through this blog, I hope to share my interests with the you and look forward to hearing (or rather reading) what’s on your mind!

My name is Dr. Susan L. Barrett and I am a basic scientist in the Woodruff Laboratory for the Oncofertility Consortium. I have a PhD in Development, Cellular and Molecular Biology, namely Reproduction as well as a MS in Tumor Biology. I am currently researching new frontiers in preserving fertility for women facing a cancer diagnosis. I will be blogging about basic reproductive biology, cell biology as well as cancer formation. I would like to give readers a better understanding of what is going on in their bodies at a cellular level. I will also discuss new, breakthrough publications in the world of oncofertility aswell as sharing exciting images and videos of our work. I am looking forward in sharing information with you as well as taking your comments and questions.