ABSTRACT

Female cancer survivors have a higher chance of experiencing infertility than women without a history of cancer diagnosis. This risk remains high in spite of advances in fertility treatments. There is a need to augment fertility treatments with cost-effective methods such as nutritional guidance to improve fertility chances. The aim of this review paper is to connect the current literature on cancer survivorship nutrition and fertility nutrition, focusing on the importance of integrating nutritional guidance into fertility counseling, assessment, and treatment for female cancer survivors. Consuming a healthful diet comprised of whole grains, soy, fruits, vegetables, seafood, and unsaturated fats has been found to improve both female fertility and cancer survivorship. Similarly, maintaining a healthy body weight also improves female fertility and cancer survivorship. Therefore, dietary interventions to support female cancer survivors with fertility challenges are of immense importance. The period of follow-up fertility counseling and assessment post-cancer treatment may provide a unique opportunity for implementing nutritional guidance for female cancer survivors. Dietary interventions are a promising strategy to improve pregnancy chances and overall quality of life among female cancer survivors; thus, researchers should investigate perceptions regarding fertility, barriers and challenges to changing nutrition-related behaviors, and preferences for nutritional guidance to support fertility treatments in this population.

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