Supporting emotional wellbeing in fertility decisions after a cancer diagnosis
Context
Receiving a cancer diagnosis as a young person is deeply distressing, and many patients must then make urgent, complex decisions about preserving their fertility before treatment begins. These decisions are linked to high levels of stress, decisional conflict and later regret, yet access to specialist psychological support at this stage varies widely.
Exploring Your Options is a narrative-based responsive video designed to support young people's emotional wellbeing, as well as their understanding, as they work through their fertility preservation options. The film was developed with cancer-experienced young people, clinicians, a health psychologist and a cancer mental health charity. It uses responsive video technology to let viewers explore information at their own pace and in an order they choose, which helps restore a sense of agency at a time when many feel they have little control. Viewers pick a young person with lived experience to guide them throughout, and hear honest accounts of how it felt to face these decisions. Regular reflection spaces pause the flow of information so viewers can gather their thoughts and note questions for their care team. A dedicated section on the emotional side of decision-making reassures viewers that difficult and changing feelings are normal, and explains where they can find support.
The research
The content of the film is based on the Cancer, Fertility and Me patient decision aid. Through co-design with cancer-experienced young people, health professionals, and related stakeholders, we explored how responsive video could meet patients' emotional support needs alongside their information needs. Preliminary feedback suggests the film's supportive tone, lived-experience narrators and space for reflection can help young people feel less overwhelmed and more in control at a highly stressful time.
The film is now available online for anyone making fertility preservation decisions. We are gathering further feedback on its acceptability to support future trials that evaluate its impact, including on decisional stress and wellbeing, in greater depth.
Featured publications
- Negotiating Neutrality: Designing a Responsive Video to Support Fertility Preservation Decision-making by Cancer-diagnosed Young Female Patients.
Featured researchers