In a BBC health report, Drs. Tom Kelsey at St Andrews and Hamish Wallace at Edinburgh University say this will help physicians make reliable predictions when counseling women.
Radiotherapy treatment can damage the ovaries and lead to premature menopause. Until now, doctors were only able to tell women and young girls with cancer undergoing radiotherapy there was a risk and were unable to accurately quantify it. By using the new formula, they should be able to predict what dose would cause sterility in the vast majority of girls or women at any given age.
Dr. Richard Fleming, an expert in reproductive endocrinology at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and member of the British Fertility Society, says, "It's not precise but it will mean doctors can give women an age range for fertility. It's very helpful."
