{"paper_id":"2141e446-10a4-46cf-aec1-90751d3101be","body_text":"UC San Diego\nSpring 2023 - UC San Diego Health Journal of Nursing: The \nUnique Power of Nursing\nTitle\n09. Fertility, Oncofertility, and Endometriosis: Nursing in a Women's Health Sub-Specialty\nPermalink\nhttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/25q95675\nJournal\nUC San Diego Health Journal of Nursing, 16(1)\nAuthors\nArnold, Amanda, BSN, RN\nStavang, Brooke, BSN, RN\nPublication Date\n2023-04-01\n \nPeer reviewed\neScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library\nUniversity of California\n\nor menstrual cycle irregularities. \nOur nursing staff plays a key role in \nensuring patients receive a seamless \nexperience navigating the clinic and \nbroader health care system: patients \nreceive immediate appointments \n(48-72 hours timeframe), schedules \nare coordinated around surgical and \noncology appointments, information \nis reviewed during appointments \nin a clear and detailed manner, and \nassistance is provided helping patients \nmaintain follow up with outgoing \nreferrals. Looking forward, we have \ncurrent research projects established \nto continue to build our Oncofertility \nprogram by accepting referrals from \nRady Childrens Hospital, Eisenhower \nHealth, Scripps Health, and expanding \nour own internal referral program \nwithin UCSDH.\nUC San Diego Health also houses \nour Center for Endometriosis Research \nUnique to Reproductive \nEndocrinology, UCSDH provides \nimmediate medical options for patients \nwith recent cancer diagnoses. Dr. Irene \nSu leads this program by providing \nextensive education on potential \nimpacts on future short term and \nlong-term fertility following radiation, \nsurgery, and chemotherapy. In \npartnership with Reproductive Partners \nSan Diego, patients can receive egg/\nembryo freezing options to preserve \nfertility prior to treatment. Our team \nensures referrals are made to facilities \nequipped to support patients facing \nfinancial burden while undergoing this \nprocess. The clinic also provides non \nor low hormonal contraceptive options \nwhen cancer treatment is determined to \nbe the immediate priority. Patients with \na history of pediatric cancers are also \nseen when they reach adolescence to \ntreat and manage early stage menopause \n \nFertility, Oncofertility,  \nand Endometriosis:\nNursing in a Women’s Health  \nSub-Specialty\nAmanda Arnold BSN, RN is a native San \nDiegan who received her Bachelors in \nNursing (BSN) degree from San Diego \nState University in 2010. She has worked \nwith infertility patients since 2011, working \nin private practice before joining UC \nSan Diego Health as the Clinical Nurse \nSupervisor in 2016. In 2021, Amanda \nwas a co-author of a research study on \nEndometriosis published in BMC Womens \nHealth. She is a resident of Carlsbad and a \nmom of three. \nEXCEPTIONAL ADVANCES IN NURSING PRACTICE\nAuthors: Amanda Arnold BSN, RN and \nBrooke Stavang BSN, RN \nThe Department of Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility \n(REF) is a subdivision of the Department of OB/GYN and \nReproductive Medicine at UC San Diego Health (UCSDH). The \nclinic provides a variety of care for reproductive aged women \nfacing issues with Infertility, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), \nEndometriosis, Fibroids, and a variety of reproductive disorders. \nIn partnerships, Reproductive Endocrinologists work with a \nteam of nurses to provide comprehensive care coordination and \ntreatment within this highly specialized field. \n29\n\nBrooke Stavang, BSN, RN received her \nBachelors in Nursing (BSN) degree from \nAzusa Pacific University in 2014. Brooke \nhas worked with patients in the fertility \nfield since 2015 starting as an IVF clinical \ncoordinator in private practice. She has \nalways had a passion for fertility, as she \nis an IVF baby herself. Brooke values \nrelationship building and compassion \nneeded for patients in the fertility field as \nwell as the continual growth reproductive \nendocrinology has here at UCSDH. Brooke \nis a commuter from Dana Point, CA where \nshe lives with her new husband and puppy. \nShe has been happily working at USCDH \nsince 2021. \nProgram—a subspecialty that brings \npatients from around the country to \ntreat women suffering from pelvic \npain. Pelvic pain is a disease that \ncan frequently go undiagnosed or \nmisdiagnosed for long periods of time. \nLeading the Endometriosis team, Dr. \nSanjay Agarwal and Dr. Antoni Duleba \nalong with the nursing team provide \nmultidisciplinary referrals to treat \npatients medically and holistically. \nPatients are connected with dietary, \npsychology, pain management and \nphysical therapy to treat the disease’s \ninflammatory effects. It is a priority to \nprovide our patients with medicinal and \ntherapeutic options prior to surgery, \nas surgery may lead to additional scar \ntissue and longer recovery times. Dr. \nDuleba shares his expertise in this field \nby providing on site pain management \ntherapy to desensitize specific trigger \npoints for these patients. Our nursing \nteam is highly trained in securing prior \nauthorization requests for high cost \nmedications that have been found to be \nhighly successful in treating pelvic pain \nin a safe and minimally invasive way. \nThis population is burdened by long-\nterm pain and stress responses, and \nthe REF team is diligent in providing \nfrequent follow up. We have a specific \ngoal of maintaining quality of life for \nthese patients. Research on diagnosing \nand studying long term effects of \nendometriosis are ongoing, and \npatients within our clinic are frequently \nrecruited to participate in hopes of \nfinding a more effective cure for this \ndebilitating disease.\nIn collaboration with UC San \nDiego Health’s Gender Health \nCoordinators, our health system is able \nto provide information and treatment \nfor transgender patients seeking \nreproductive medicine therapies. \nSome of the treatments that we offer \ninclude: 1. Fertility preservation \noptions (egg and embryo freezing) \nand education prior to starting \ngender affirming hormone therapy \n2. Menstrual suppression and 3. \nHormonal replacement or suppression \ntherapy. We partner with other clinics \nwithin the institution to provide gender \naffirmation surgery, electrolysis, and \nmental health support. Our team is \nproud of the equitable and inclusive \ncare we deliver to all patients. \nReproductive Endocrinology and \nFertility is located at 9333 Genesee \nAvenue Suite 340. Our clinic is shared \nwith UCSDH Men’s Health to treat our \ninfertile male population. Our location \nis staffed with 3 bachelor degree \nprepared RNs and 1 LVN with extensive \nbackgrounds in women’s health and \nreproductive medicine. As a team, we \nstrive to provide nursing excellence and \nare committed to a culture that is caring \nand inspiring.\nUCSDH JOURNAL OF NURSING  |  SPRING 2023 \n30","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}