Infertility clinical trials at UCSD

Young adult cancer survivors constitute an under served population to whom fertility potential is particularly important. For female young adult patients, cancer treatment such as alkylating chemotherapy are toxic to the finite number of eggs they have, resulting in risks of infertility and premature menopause related to ovarian failure. Reproductive issues are a major concern for young cancer survivors, but one that is understudied. Young cancer survivors have few tools to measure post-treatment ovarian reserve, or the quantity and quality of remaining eggs4. Accurate determination of ovarian reserve and fertility potential would not only be an important research tool, but also directly impact clinical management. The purpose of this study is to test if basal and provocative ovarian reserve testing can predict return of menses in female young adult cancer survivors, to compare basal and provocative ovarian reserve testing results between female young adult cancer survivors and healthy controls, and to compare basal and provocative ovarian reserve testing results between female young adult cancer survivors on and off of combined estrogen and progesterone hormone products. Participants will be asked to keep track of their periods over three months. If a participant is taking birth control pills, patches, or vaginal ring, they will asked to come off the birth control for 3 months. Participants will also be asked to undergo ovarian reserve testing by blood draws and pelvic ultrasounds at the start and end of the 3 months.

The FIRST project is a national fertility preservation registry for young women facing cancer treatments. The investigators will examine how different cancers and treatments affect the reproductive health of young survivors. This prospective cohort study seeks to recruit young women close to time of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Participants will answer a yearly questionnaire on their current health. A subset of participants will provide dried blood spots to measure reproductive hormones. The primary goal of the study is to determine the risk of infertility and time to pregnancy in young female cancer survivors.

The effects of gender transitioning, particularly the effects of testosterone exposure in transgender men, on the oocyte and embryo development are largely unknown. Based on prior studies suggesting that the extracellular RNAs secreted by the ovarian follicle cells reflect the oocyte and embryo biological state, the investigators propose to use these extracellular RNAs to gain insights into the effects of testosterone exposure in transgender men on their oocyte and embryo without impacting the clinical IVF process.