Celebrity Gossip and Its Impact

I believe the power of gossips and rumors over celebrity crisis management is an important topic to discuss because the emergence of communication technology development has drastically changed the way we manage our relationships (Ben-Ze’ev, 2004) and reputation (Solove, 2007). Serving as a platform for mass media as well as individual representation, web 2.0 has empowered new forms of information, including celebrity gossip. This emergence also created challenges for crisis managers to control the harmful information being disseminated as the courses of gossips have become much denser (Beer & Penfold-Mounce, 2009).

I found Ortner’s article very informative because it formulated the knowledge regarding celebrity gossip by defining celebrity gossip and analyzing the challenges and opportunities it poses to the celebrity. The article sorted celebrity gossips into five categories with different sub-categories, including sex (sexual orientation, sexual preferences and unconventionalities, cheating/affairs and sex tapes/nude photos), drugs, relationships (new relationships, engagement and marriages, pregnancy, children and other family, failing relationships, failed relationships and fake relationships), behavior and character (acting in an inappropriate way, plastic surgery, having issues with weight, celebrity feud, being an attention-seeker, dark secrets and oddities) and behind-the-scenes. Ortner mentioned that nowadays, for the media, bad news is considered good news as it is much more appealing to the audience. Thus, as a lot of celebrities “depending on gossip and its power to sell products and images” (Birchall, 2006; Fortunati, 2009), Ortner suggested crisis managers to practice evaluation of the gossip by using Solove (2007)’s assessment, asking questions such as “who is making the disclosure,” “is the disclosure made to the appropriate audience,” and “is the purpose behind the disclosure one we should encourage or discourage.”

On the other hand, Beer’s and Penfold-Mounce’s article approached the topic by considering celebrities “mobile and contingent, rather than fixed and stable;” thus, they proposed approaches that can accommodate this mobility. Suggesting that celebrity is now perhaps “the defining aspect of contemporary popular culture” and viewing celebrity gossip as a process of “moving and transforming through a media environment,” the two authors depicted from Ang (1985)’s “melodramatic imagination” theory to proposed a “new melodramatic imagination” understanding of the power of gossip over a celebrity’s career. Using Miley Cyrus as a case study, they argued that by being a byproduct of the new melodramatic imagination, the public is now a partner in assembling the content; thus, controlling the narratives of both sides would be the key to celebrity crisis communication.

Moreover, Fairclough (2008) claimed that nowadays, “celebrities are no longer perceived as primarily or necessarily figures of aspiration, but as characters to judge and deride.” Consequently, she observed a “bitch culture,” in which gossip bloggers play the roles of both the “producer” and “consumer” of the celebrity by deconstructing a celebrity’s image, at the same time contributing to, and sometimes re-shaping, the celebrity’s cultural impact. Additionally, in this “bitch culture,” the boundary between negative and positive meaning of the word “bitch” has almost dissolved as a lot of celebrities have built a “bitch” reputation to attract audiences. In other words, “bitch culture” has become embedded into the typical paradigms of celebrity mediation.

Reference

1.      Beer, D., & Penfold-Mounce, R. (2009). Celebrity gossip and the new melodramatic imagination. Sociological Research Online, 14(2), 2.

2.      Fairclough, K. (2008). Fame is a losing game: Celebrity gossip blogging, bitch culture and postfeminism. Genders (48).

3.      Ortner, H. (2013). Not so blind items: Anonymous celebrity gossip exposed. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit8/papers/Ortner_MIT8_Blind_Items.pdf

Global Communication: Current Trends

In the past decades, global communication has developed into a rapidly expanding field with a number of players. Communications across borders consist of flows of words, images, texts and data that move between and among individuals, governments, social movements and business organizations. However, according to Thussu (2006), as a result of the deregulation and liberalization of the international communication during the 90s along with new communication technology developments, especially the satellite, cable, digital and mobile, the world media marketplace has turned into a “global media bazaar.” (p. 98)
The first current trend is the media convergence. Before the globalization, most media corporations had very distinct area of business and functions. However, with the game-changing movement of privatization across the globe and the fascinating invention of information digitization, that distinction has dissolved drastically. From then we have seen a huge wave of mergers and acquisitions, which resulted in an unbelievably huge drop in number of private corporations. In 1983, there were 50 private corporations and in 2004, only five major ones remained, including Time Warner, Disney, News Corp, Bertelsmann, Viacom and NBC as a close sixth. (Thussu, 2006, p. 99)
As being said, the convergence of the media has given the major corporations the ability to “integrate content origination with delivery mechanism”. Not only that they create their own contents, but they also have a global distribution network to support their international visibility and impact. Thus, the five major game players above dominate the global market and control all the major aspects of mass media. (Thussu, 2006, p. 99)
Even though that trend creates a few criticisms, such as the limit of sources of information since there are very few conglomerates distributing information across all platforms, it leads to the next trend, which is the western domination in cultural and media products.
All five major corporations are western based, especially the U.S., which caused the West to dominate the world’s entertainment and information networks. They cleverly utilized the two major entertainment factors that can “cut across national and cultural and even linguistic boundaries,” which are sport and music respectively.
Now we see a wide variety of formats of western-made cultural products became international franchises. For example, the Idol Series, which originated from the UK, has been licensed and adapted in more than 30 countries. The multi-million-dollar franchise also created the foundation for subsequent franchises such as the X Factor, The Voice and the Got Talent series (Simon Fuller on how ‘Idol’ began, 2011). We also witnessed a lot of international mega stars who gained worldwide fame and popularity such as Britney Spears, Madonna, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. The Harry Potter fantasy novel series have been translated into 67 languages and created enormous international cultural and social impact. (Record print run for final Potter, 2007)

In the news arena, the West, led by the U.S., is also dominating. However, with another current trend of “contra flows” in global media, the major game players mentioned above should be a little concerned. In the past, U.S. media used to have strong credibility because of its independence of government control. However, in recent years, that credibility has been “severely dented” due to their biased coverage; for example, the extensive coverage of the so-called open-ended and global war on Islamic terrorism after 9/11. The news discourse is also biased in terms of nuclear issues. Additionally, with the cut back on foreign news coverage, a lot of U.S.’s way of framing stories on countries with geopolitical and economic interest is not really universally accepted.
Moreover, in the entertainment arena, the world is also seeing a subsurface wave of eastern culture, especially China, India and South Korea. While the Indian film industry has created its own reputation with “Bollywood,” China has also had a few international kungfu blockbusters and South Korea is spreading its culture with the “hallyu” wave.

 

A very recent example would be Psy – a South Korean artist – who has dominated the international music charts, including the U.S. and U.K., with the smash hit single Gangnam Style. He also took over Justin Bieber’s spot as the most liked video on YouTube (Guinness World Records, 2012). A few Chinese actors has had established international career such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li. As a result, now we see more and more Hollywood movies with multi-nationality cast.
Nevertheless, the U.S.’s domination in TV shows creation is also losing its position. One good example would be the hit TV show Ugly Betty, which originated from the Colombian show Yo Soy Betty, La Fea. That adaptation led the trend of U.S.’s adaptation of other countries’ TV shows, such as The Voice from Holland and reality TV series from the U.K. These examples serve as a precedent for the future and set the foundation for a more balanced media power concentration system.

The value of PR

        PR as a critical part of strategic management

Research has shown that PR practitioners are rarely included in the dominant coalition (Grunig & Repper, 1992). White and Dozier also indicated that very few communication managers are empowered as decision makers at the strategic level. Grunig (1992) proposed several explanations for public relations’ absence in strategic management, including the lack of comprehensive business expertise, passiveness, being foreign to organizational politics, and inadequate academia. Consequently, PR practitioners usually do not have an influential position and are relegated to a functional level within the organizational structure.

However, Sung (2007) proposed that PR is most effective when it is embedded in the strategic management framework. Specifically, PR professionals should be part of and cooperate with chief administrative officers and executive managers. Depicting from the Excellence Theory developed by Grunig, Sung suggested that PR can help executive managers identify uncertainties to contain risks and issues. Moreover, PR contributes to revenue generation by managing a good and healthy reputation as well as maintaining and building stable, quality and long-term relations with strategic constituencies (Huang, 2012). Ultimately, PR helps in cost reduction as those relationships would save the organization resources by preventing crises, litigation, bad publicity and other issues.

Furthermore, Kim, Ni and Sha (2008) stated that PR is more than just communication management tool between the organization and its publics. Instead, PR has a real and measurable impact on the success of achieving organizational goals by being a “communication discipline” that engages key audiences to bring back vital information for organizational analysis and decision making.

In addition, PR deals with not only external publics but also internal ones. For instance, it is critical that all employees to have a thorough understanding of organizational goals and strategy as well as their roles and responsibilities in executing them. Thus, PR as a strategic management function looks at all the stakeholders of the organization and uses a variety of tools and tactics to maintain and enhance relationships with them. Most importantly, PR provides strategic consultation to executives for effective decision making.

Grunig (2006) also argued that PR serves as “in-house activists” to manage the “corporate conscience” by advocating for two-way symmetrical communication and suggesting a mutually beneficial relationship with its publics. PR professionals should have an objective perspective to weigh conflicting needs of different publics and organizational goals to help executives make the best and most balanced decisions.

        How PR should be practiced in a strategic way to go beyond publicity and promotion efforts

Public relations and publicity are not synonymous. Publicity is only a function, a tool and a specialized discipline for PR practitioners to achieve further goals. Other important PR practices that go beyond publicity and promotion efforts include environmental scanning and identification of publics.

According to Sung (2007), PR practitioners monitor the environment to bring an outside perspective to the decision making process (pp. 175). This practice is a methodology to identify external competition as well as other social, economic and technical issues that might be overseen. Beside early issue identification, excellent PR also emphasizes monitoring the external environment and adjusting organizational mission to it.

On the other hand, by breaking up a mass public or population into smaller groups that have similarities, PR practitioners are able to evaluate the importance of different stakeholders to contribute to the most cost-effective organizational decisions (Grunig & Repper, 1992; Kim, Ni & Sha, 2008). Depending on the scope of resources available, PR practitioner can identify and prioritize strategic publics that would have the most impact and interaction with the organization to develop a more effective plan, instead of wasting time and resources on all publics. Additionally, by doing so, practitioners are also able to design the appropriate messages and strategies for each public, depending on the publics’ properties and expectations.

These two practices are much more than just publicity and promotion efforts as they set PR practitioners in a much more proactive role by preparing and anticipating for all possibilities, predicting new trends and opportunities, at the same time saving cost and resources by driving the organization in the right and strategic focus.

Furthermore, publicity and promotion are just two outcomes that practitioners aim for while building and maintaining a good organizational reputation. As “publicity” does not always mean good press coverage, for example, in times of crisis, publicity might be a massive dissemination of negative information across all media; the role of PR will go beyond establishing publicity to repairing reputation. If publicity is more about changing the knowledge (making publics aware of the organization and its service or product) and promotion is about changing behavior (attracting publics to purchase the product or consume the service), PR’s ultimate outcome is to change the attitude of the publics toward an organization or issue.

            Environmental scanning

            Public relations is often referred to as its functional level, which is nothing more than a simple set of communication strategies tactics. Many practitioners are usually portrayed as and mistaken as party planners and/or deceiving representatives who are willing to spin any story to get publicity for their organization. However, I believe PR is an integral part of overall strategy and should be practiced constantly. As communication campaigns are developed based on extensive research to address strategic organizational objectives with tactical outcomes, target audiences and key messages, environmental scanning would be a great contribution to recognizing the value of PR.

            One of the important roles of PR practitioners is to advocate for the balance of the organizational need and the needs of its stakeholders, including investors, customers, employees, and sometimes the community. For example, Toshiba is going through some financial difficulties due to the regression. The organization is faced with the possibility of closing a regional plant as that manufacturing location is no longer needed. PR practitioners would have to practice intense environmental scanning to evaluate the impact this decision would have with the employees, customers as well as the community there to help measure the aftermath and possibly suggest other alternatives.

            However, according to Sung (2007), this function is not widely practiced in public relations. One of the reasons for this is the lack of academia regarding how to conduct environmental scanning and how to use scenarios to explore possible outcomes. As a methodology for early issue identification and coping with external competition, social, economic and technical issues that may be difficult to see, practitioners can use this tool to help monitor, interpret and respond to issues that threaten organizational reputation, at the same time enhance organizational survival and growth. In addition, more than just media clipping, Grunig (1990) also pointed out that systematic analysis of media monitoring would help practitioners have a more accurate evaluation of the presentation of organizational reputation. Also, logically, by doing research based on the situational theory, environmental scanning also supports public identification to help save cost and resources. Thus, if more understanding of this powerful function is gained; environmental scanning would be a great contribution to the value of PR.

References

Grunig, J. E. (1990). Theory and practice of interactive media relations. Public Relations Quarterly, 35(3), 18-23.

Grunig, J. E. (2006). Furnishing the edifice: Ongoing research on public relations as a strategic management function. Journal of Public relations Research, 18, 151-176.

Grunig, J. E., & Repper, F. C. (1992). Strategic management, publics, and issues. In J. E. Grunig (Ed.), Excellence in public relations and communication management (pp. 31-64). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Grunig, L. A. (1992) "Power in the Public Relations Department". In: Excellence in Public Relations and Communications Management, Hillsdale, N. J.: L. Erlbaum.

Huang, Y-H. (2012). Gauging an integrated model of public relations value assessment (PRVA): Scale development and cross-cultural studies. Journal of Public Relations Research, 24, 243-265.

Steyn, B. (2007). Contribution of public relations to organizational strategy formulation. In E. L. Toth (Ed.), The future of excellence in public relations and communication management: Challenges for the next generation (pp. 137-172). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Sung, M-J. (2007). Toward a model of scenario building from a public relations perspective. In E. L. Toth (Ed.), The future of excellence in public relations and communication management: Challenges for the next generation (pp. 173-197). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

White, J., & Dozier, D. M. (1992), "Public Relations and Management Decision Making". In: Excellence in Public Relations and Communications Management, Grunig, J. E. (ed.), Hillsdale, N. J.: L. Erlbaum Assoc.

Alma Faz - The Race Of Her Life

The term “handicapped” is no longer considered politically correct, but, in any case, it would be a misnomer for Alma Faz, an amputee and computed tomography technologist at MD Anderson.

Faz was a freshman in college when she was diagnosed simultaneously with boneand ovarian cancers.

In March 1998, she had three cycles of chemotherapy, which did not treat the bone tumor. Subsequently, she had to undergo surgery to amputate her right leg.

“I’d always been outgoing and motivated. Suddenly, there were a lot of ‘I can’ts,’” Faz recalls. “It was a very trying time at that age. You’re finding out who you are, and that was interrupted for me.”

Her treatment ended in summer 1998, and she has remained completely cancer-free.

Getting on with life

It’s been more than 15 years since her leg was amputated. In this time, Faz has achieved much in both her personal and professional lives. “The doctor said I would have no limits,” Faz recalls. “I can run. I can bike. I can ski. I can do anything I set my mind to.” She has participated in five half-marathons and run more than 1,100 miles in the last two years. She is now ready to begin training for her first triathlon.

During her treatment, Faz fell in love with radiology and decided to pursue it as a career. “My goal was always to work for MD Anderson,” she says. In August 2008, she graduated from MD Anderson’s School of Health Professions with a bachelor’s degree in diagnostic imaging. She specializes in using computerized tomography (CT) scanners that help diagnose patients’ medical condition by producing cross-section images of internal organs and tissues.

Faz, who feels that she wouldn't be where she is today if it weren't for MD Anderson and her large support network, says that she needed a special way to thank her heroes. She is one of the original members of MD Anderson’s Young Adult Advisory Council, a group of young cancer survivors dedicated to sharing opinions and ideas to help other patients.

Although she is cured, she realizes that someone else’s story is just beginning. As such, she hopes that her efforts and contributions will positively impact others.

“I have no limitations,” Faz tells other patients. “I can do anything I put my mind to, so can you.”

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Healthy dining options at MD Anderson

By Joey Tran, MD Anderson Staff Writer

Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases, according to the American Cancer Society. Making healthy food choices may also help you maintain a healthy weight and keep your body in fighting shape if you do have cancer.

However, making healthy choices can be challenging when you're dining out. That's especially true if you're eating here at MD Anderson, when you already have many other things on your mind.

To make the best out of your healthy dining experience at MD Anderson, Ashley Smith, health and wellness manager of the department of Dining Services, has provided the following smart-eating strategies.

Plan ahead
Plan to visit dining locations that have healthy items you enjoy. Look for these healthy options at the following cafés:

• Café Anderson, located at Main Building, floor 1, near the Café Corner, R1.2351: Power plate, Be Well plate, Cooking Light, sandwich and salad bars
• Waterfall Café, located at Mays Clinic, floor 2, near the Tree Sculpture, ACB2.2402: Be Well plate, Cooking Light and salad bar 
• Cool Beans Bakery and Café, located at Duncan Building, floor 2, near Elevator Q, CPB2.3050: Sandwich and salad bar
• Lantern Café, located at Pickens Tower, floor 3, near Elevator N: Be Well plate, Cooking Light, sandwich and salad bars

Always evaluate how hungry you are and plan to eat accordingly. If you want a light lunch, consider an à la carte item or a small soup and side salad. If ordering a full meal, plan to save some leftovers for later.

Consider the menu
MD Anderson cafés offer plenty of items to help you achieve a balanced diet by including foods from all the different food groups: meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables and grains. Consider the following options:

• The Be Well plate from Café Anderson, Waterfall Café and Lantern Café offers a protein, starch and vegetable option for 400-600 calories per plate. Be Well options are sold as a plate and à la carte.
• Cooking Light from Café Anderson, Waterfall Café and Lantern Café offers a wide variety of tastes and textures including lean sources of protein, whole grains and an array of vegetables. Cooking Light options are sold as a plate and à la carte.
• The Power Plate from Café Anderson is loaded with nutrients and has minimal added fat, sodium or sugar. The Power Plate is sold as a meal; à la carte is not currently available.
• For sandwiches, choose whole wheat bread or wraps and top with vegetables like lettuce, tomato and onion. Select lean deli meats over mayo-based chicken and tuna salads, and add low-calorie condiments like mustard in place of mayo or other creamy dressings. 
• For a healthy salad, include dark leafy greens and top with a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables. Add lean proteins like grilled chicken, flaked tuna, tofu or beans and healthy fats like avocadoes, nuts, seeds or olive oil based salad dressing; however, always keep your portion sizes in check. Any salad toppings that aren't vegetables - including cheese, croutons, dried cranberries and creamy salad dressings - can quickly add-on extra calories. Instead, aim for at least 2/3 of your salad to be vegetables.

Choose foods carefully

• Choose à la carte options that create healthy meal combinations. Instead of macaroni and cheese or French fries, choose healthier sides like steamed vegetables, a small salad with low-fat dressing or fresh fruit.
• When ordering at MD Anderson, review the menu tags, which include nutrition facts and Just4U nutrition symbols to help you make healthy choices. Just4U symbols show which foods are low fat, calories, sodium and carbohydrates, as well as those that are vegetarian and/or prepared with healthier cooking methods. Ask for a guide to help clarify which nutrition symbols are right "Just4U."
• Areas in the café like the sandwich and salad bars also have nutrition information posted.  To make the healthiest selections, review this nutrition information closely before building your sandwich or salad.
• When choosing your beverage, plain water is the healthiest option. If you insist on something else, opt for drinks like low-sugar teas, flavored waters, and low-fat or skim milk that all have less than 100 calories per serving.

Remember, making healthy choices is a choice. By choosing from our restaurants' healthy offerings, you can enjoy a high-quality meal at MD Anderson without abandoning healthy eating. 

 

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The Swing of Life

Eddy Davis would have enjoyed teaching golf no matter what. But he has an appreciation for life, and health, that few pros can understand.

Since becoming a golf professional in 1994, Eddy Davis has excelled as a published golf illustrator and tournament calligrapher, an avid golfer who considers himself the "resident artist" at the Jimmy Clay-Roy Kizer Golf Complex in Austin, Texas.

Fear and questions
When he faced a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma in 2003, he feared the unknown and had thousands of questions for his doctors. His golfing buddies. His wife. And himself.

But no one ever questioned the courage and determination that continues to prove the experts wrong.

Davis soon started extensive cycles of radiation, followed by chemotherapy. It was 2003. His second child had just been born; he and his wife also had a five-year-old.

In 2009, the cancer cells had started spreading toward Davis' brain. His oncologist in Austin felt that he had exhausted his options there and that his only chance would be to seek the assistance of specialists at MD Anderson.

After treatment with high-dose chemotherapy, the doctors at MD Anderson decided that Davis' only option was a stem cell transplant. Davis was assigned to Borje Andersson, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

It was successful.

"I was driven to live a life that I never expected," Davis recalls. "I wasn't supposed to see 41 when I was diagnosed at age 40. And I certainly wasn't supposed to see 46. And it was unheard of that I'm even seeing 50. But here I am."

Care and compassion combat cancer
Davis attributes his survival to the support of not only his family and the golf community, but also to all the doctors and nurses at MD Anderson who were there for him.

Negativities and depression that come with a cancer diagnosis are mentally and physically challenging. Davis remembers reaching a point when he wanted to give up and let cancer do its thing. An inpatient nurse told him after one of the lengthy self-pity moments: "Son, you'll have to cowboy up. Stay positive and look forward to what's next, not just cancer treatment ... your wife and children."

Davis believes several factors helped him beat cancer: sound nutrition, frequent exercise, friendship, a solid medical team and the love of the people around him.

"In my life, I've been through peaks and valleys," Davis says. "From being in the lowest part of my life, to almost breaths away from death, to getting out on the golf course, to seeing my child taking his first steps and being able to encourage other cancer patients - that would be the epitome of life. This is the greatest situation I can ever have."

After cancer, a changed man
Prior to the diagnosis, his career was first. "I was self-centered," he says.

During the treatment, his career was important, but not fulfilling. After the treatment and recovery, he has come to realize that the people he worked with are some of the most beautiful people he knows.

"I was fortunate to have the support of my family and the local golf community," Davis says. "I have a newfound love for my family, my profession and the people I serve. I am a public servant who has come to cherish the beauty and power of the human spirit."

Continuing to manage, teach and illustrate golf, Davis is playing the best game of his life. He has been working since his stem cell transplant, as his health continues to improve and his physical and mental achievements seem to be progressing nicely.

"Sometimes there isn't anything you can do, but good faith and support from the people around you can really have a tremendous effect on any adversity, whether it is cancer or any other challenge that you might face," Davis says.

Read more about Davis and much more in the spring issue of Conquest magazine. 

Read full article here

Fertility and Cancer: Understanding Your Options

What it means to survive cancer today is very different from 20 or even 10 years ago.

Back then, doctors and patients approached cancer like a monster to be slain; surviving was the only goal.

But as cancer treatments have improved, young cancer patients have begun demanding more than just survival. They want to lead normal lives.

They want to have babies.

Yet, depending on the treatment, curing cancer can reduce patients' chances of having children or erase them entirely. Infertility is a possibility faced by at least 10% of the 1.4 million Americans under age 40 who find out each year that they have cancer.

Many are not informed about ways to safeguard their fertility.

The challenges of fertility education

Some patients worry that efforts to protect their fertility will delay cancer treatment. Others don't know exactly what their options are. 

Most hospitals that treat cancer neither offer fertility counseling nor have reproductive oncologists who can help. And, in most cancer centers, it's not clear who's responsible for handling fertility questions- the oncologists? The surgeons? 

"It falls through the cracks," says Terri Woodard, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine at MD Anderson. "If patients say they don't care about that right now, they just want to get rid of the cancer, they need to be told that in five years they may feel differently. They should at least be informed."

Some types of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, may cause temporary or permanent infertility. 

These side effects are related to a number of factors, including the patient's age at time of treatment, the specific type and dose of radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, and length of time since treatment.

When cancer or its treatment can potentially cause infertility or sexual dysfunction, every effort should be made to inform and educate the patient about this possibility. 

When the patient is a child, this can be difficult. The child may be too young to understand issues involving infertility and reproduction, or parents may choose to shield the child from these issues.

Fertility options for cancer patients

Patients who are concerned about the effects of cancer treatment on their ability to have children should discuss this with their doctor before treatment. The doctor can recommend a counselor or fertility specialist who can discuss options and help patients and their partners through the decision-making process. 

Options may include freezing sperm, eggs, embryos or ovarian/testicular tissue before treatment.

For men, the solution is usually as simple as freezing sperm, but fertility preservation in women is far more complex. 

Depending on how quickly doctors need to forge ahead with cancer treatment, a woman can choose to harvest and freeze either eggs or embryos (assuming she has access to sperm). The procedure takes approximately two weeks.

But that time can be reduced to one hour with ovarian tissue cryopreservation. With this cutting-edge technique, an ovary or a piece of one is laparoscopically removed and frozen before cancer therapy, then transplanted once a woman decides she wants to get pregnant. 

Doctors have been studying this procedure for at least a decade, but it has only recently begun yielding results. To date, more than a dozen live births have been reported from transplanted frozen ovarian tissue.

Other alternatives include ovarian tissue freezing and ovarian transposition. Women may undergo surgery to protect the ovaries by moving them out of the field of radiation.

What you can do to protect your fertility

While not all patients are at risk, be sure to speak with your doctor about whether you should be concerned about infertility before starting cancer treatment. Use these questions to guide your conversation:

• Will my cancer treatment affect my fertility, either temporarily or permanently?
• What are my options to preserve my fertility before, during or after my cancer treatment
• What is the best option for me, given my cancer type and treatment?
• When might it be safe for me to start a family after my cancer treatment?

Read the full article here