Infertility and Identity: A Closer Look Into Experiences of Emerging Young Adult Childhood Cancer Survivors

Four distinct themes emerged after the data analyses: restricted exploration and uncertain future, challenges to intimacy and communication, restructuring identity through redefining roles, and coping through familial support. These findings indicate that developmental processes of identity formation are complicated by the challenges stemming from infertility and require specific efforts to reconstruct core identity and redefine desired parental roles. Experimentation and self-discovery may be restricted for EYA cancer survivors as they reevaluate their views on intimate relationships, communication, potential professional roles, and family composition.