[Oocyte cryopreservation : medical and social indications]. / La cryoconservation d'ovocytes : indications médicales et sociétales.

The increasing survival rate in cancer patients and the global tendency to delay motherhood are two distinct phenomena leading to an increased demand for fertility preservation. Currently, fertility preservation is possible to be achieved with less hormonal exposure and without delaying oncological treatments. Based on this knowledge, any patient with an oncological diagnosis should be referred to a fertility specialist to consider gamete cryopreservation. In addition, the indication for fertility preservation have been extended to many benign pathologies. Awareness of age-related fertility decline coupled with a tendency to delay motherhood is leading more and more women to consider social egg freezing. For these women, oocyte cryopreservation allows them to maintain their reproductive lifespan until an age when they feel ready to become mothers.

L'augmentation de la survie des patientes atteintes de cancer et la tendance à retarder la première maternité sont deux phénomènes distincts menant à une hausse de la demande de préservation de fertilité. Actuellement, une préservation d'ovocytes est possible chez les patientes avec une exposition hormonale légère et sans retarder les traitements oncologiques. Ainsi, toute patiente recevant un diagnostic oncologique devrait être orientée vers un spécialiste de la fertilité. De plus, les indications de préservation de fertilité se sont élargies à de nombreuses pathologies bénignes. La conscientisation de la diminution de fertilité liée à l'âge, couplée à une tendance à retarder la première grossesse, pousse de plus en plus de femmes à faire appel à l'AGE Banking (Anticipation of Gamete Exhaustion), technique qui leur permet de maintenir leur potentiel reproductif jusqu'à l'âge où elles désireront devenir mères.

[Perception of training in doctor-patient communication for students at faculty of medicine]. / La perception de l'apprentissage à la communication médecin-patient de l'étudiant en Faculté de Médecine.

Doctor-patient communication is the heart of any medical practice. The technology of medicine today is focused on knowledge, its application and know-how, rather than skills of being, of knowing and of knowing when to do nothing. In 2005, Belgian High Council of Health emphasizes a quantitative and qualitative reduction of communication aspects within the initial medical training. The aim of our study is to investigate Belgian and foreign students perception of how the doctor-patient communication was taught during their studies. A questionnaire was sent by email to 300 Belgian and foreign Universities. We obtained 13.6% of answers of 99 students belonging to 41 Faculties from 22 countries. 55.6% of respondents thought to be well trained in the doctor-patient communication. 85.9% of students received theoretical courses out of which only 64.6% have the opportunity to enhance their apprenticeship by practical work. Majority of respondents required more practical work in learning to communicate. All of them agree on that they would like more applied practical communication incorporated into their curriculum. Like wise the society that calls for doctors with increased communication skills and communication researchers who emphasize the central role of the doctor-patient communication in the clinical and therapeutic approach, students are also seeking longitudinal transdisciplinary learning, including more practical practices.

[The child at high risk of imminent death: integrated management]. / L'enfant en risque de mort à brève échéance: la prise en charge de sa personne.

The authors report on their experience of the integrated medical and psychological care in a pediatric intensive care unit. They describe an individualized psychological management of the child at high risk of imminent death. The helpful attitudes and people are identified such as a loving human presence, a climate of trust, life openness and tolerance to child's reactions and receptiveness to the still present life. With the provided support, the child possibly goes through his difficult experience in a more serene way, at his own rythm, with the respect and the acceptance for his individual expression.

[Credibility of allegations of under age minors regarding sexual abuse]. / De la crédibilité des allégations des mineurs d'âge en matière d'abus sexuel.

When a child under age states he/she has been sexually abused, there seldom exists an objective certainty to support the allegation. Whereas clinicians know that a child who speaks spontaneously probably speaks the truth, it is nonetheless difficult to exclude the possibility of fabulating, lying or mistaking. The error probability is sharply increased when abuse is referred by a parent, specially in a context of parental separation. This article thus presents a review of criteria which help to better assess the truth or error of allegations. Criteria include analysis of the child's talk, application of projective techniques, observation of his/her behavior, etc. The author also describes some differential diagnoses based on the behaviors and sexual allegations of children under age.