Publications by authors named "Maureen Prewitt"
Objective: To develop and internally validate a clinical predictive tool to assess the likelihood that a young cancer patient will experience diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) after chemotherapy.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: University hospitals.
Context: Recent studies have examined level and rate of change of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) for predicting time to menopause. Limited prospective, longitudinal data exists evaluating measures of ovarian reserve (MOR) in cancer survivors.
Purpose: Determine the rate of change of MOR in survivors (15 to 39 years) compared with similar-aged controls and compared with late reproductive-aged controls (40 to 50 years).
Background: AMH is widely used for assessing ovarian reserve, and it is particularly convenient, because it is thought to have minimal variability throughout the menstrual cycle. However, studies assessing the stability of AMH over the menstrual cycle have been conflicting.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether AMH levels vary across the normal menstrual cycle.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the decision-making influences, perceived level of control over decision-making, and mood states of parents and patients who were offered OTC prior to gonadotoxic therapy.
Methods: Parents and patients, at least 12 years old, who required gonadotoxic therapy and were offered OTC prior to therapy, were asked to complete questionnaires. Two validated instruments were also used: the Decision-Making Control Instrument (DMCI) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS).
Objective: To compare antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels in women at high risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer compared with healthy low-risk control women.
Design: Prospective cohort.
Setting: Not applicable.
Objective: To evaluate reproductive hormone patterns in women exposed to alkylating-agent chemotherapy.
Design: Prospective cohort.
Setting: University hospital.
Background: Future fertility is an important concern for many cancer survivors. Cancer therapies have been shown to adversely impact reproductive function. However, it is difficult to predict the extent to which reproductive dysfunction will occur.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The purpose of the study is to assess the quality-of-life scores and possible association with measures of ovarian reserve in female cancer survivors compared to healthy controls of similar age.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study, fifty-nine cancer survivors aged 16-39 years and 66 healthy, similarly aged unexposed women were recruited at the University of Pennsylvania. The primary outcome measures are the generic and cancer-specific domain scores on the Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors (QLACS) instrument, early follicular phase serum hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), inhibin B (INH), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), and ovarian ultrasound measurements [ovarian volume and antral follicle count (AFC)].
Objective: To identify factors associated with ovarian reserve impairment during and immediately after chemotherapy.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Four university hospitals.
Background: Biological markers of ovarian reserve have the potential to advance research on fecundability, infertility and reproductive aging. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) has emerged as a clinically useful measure of ovarian reserve, but the requirement for venous blood is an obstacle to application in non-clinical settings. This paper validates a new method for quantifying AMH in dried blood spot (DBS) samples--drops of whole blood collected on filter paper following a simple finger stick.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: As advancements in cancer therapies have led to dramatic improvements in long term survival, there has been increasing interest in methods to expand fertility preservation options for cancer patients.
Methods: An experimental protocol for ovarian tissue cryopreservation was developed at the University of Pennsylvania for patients requiring gonadotoxic therapies. The protocol for adults was implemented at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and for children at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in collaboration with the Oncofertility Consortium and the National Physicians Cooperative (NPC).
Objective: To determine the exact nature and timing of alterations in thyroid function throughout controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH).
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: University fertility clinic.
Objective: To determine whether measures of ovarian reserve differ between females exposed to cancer therapies in a dose-dependent manner as compared with healthy controls of similar age and late reproductive age.
Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data from a prospective cohort study.
Setting: University medical center.