The study, Fertility Preservation Decisions Among Young Women Diagnosed with a Life Threatening Illness is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant Number K12HD055892 and the University of Michigan Office of the Vice-President for Research. Your participation is strictly voluntary and confidential. Assurances for the protection of participants in this study have been received from the University of Illinois at Chicago Institutional Review Board protocol number 2008-0281 and the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board protocol number HUM00009142.

Nurses and doctors want to learn more about the choices that young women with a life threatening illness such as cancer make about their fertility and how young women go about making this choice. We are seeking to understand this experience to provide support with this decision to other young women in the same situation.

You may be eligible to participate in this study if you:
Are female
Are newly diagnosed or re-diagnosed with a life threatening illness such as cancer
Are or recently were eligible for egg, embryo or ovarian tissue freezing within the past 6 months
Have talked with your doctor about your fertility options in the past 6 months
Are at least 18 years of age and not older than 42 years of age
Concerned about your fertility and willing to talk or write about your thoughts
Are English speaking

You will be asked to answer two short questionnaires and take part in a private research interview. You may have the option of completing the interview in one of three ways: (1.) face-to-face, (2.) telephone, or (3.) e-mail. The interview is the main focus of the study and this is where you will be asked to share your experience about making a decision to either accept or decline the use of egg, embryo or ovarian tissue freezing.

In an effort to thank each young woman for their participation in this important study, each individual will receive a $50 gift card.