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Breast Cancer Treatment & Fertility: What to Know

Women facing a breast cancer diagnosis are already facing mountains of fear, uncertainty, and emotional pain. But for some women, breast cancer isn’t the only thing they are facing: depending on the type of lifesaving treatment required, they may also be facing infertility. While advances in detection and treatment for breast cancer has allowed women to survive and thrive after a diagnosis, many then often have to face the reality that they may not be able to have the child they long for.

To help women diagnosed with breast cancer who are facing an unsure fertility future, the fertility specialists of CRM Orlando’s fertility clinics are here to go over the infertility risks young breast cancer patients face and how they may be able to preserve their fertility to have a family after treatment.

Infertility Risks Of Breast Cancer Treatment

Not all women who undergo breast cancer treatment need to worry about their future fertility. Many factors play a role in determining a woman’s risk of becoming infertile after cancer treatment, such as age, type of treatment, and existing levels of fertility before starting treatment. But there are some treatments, such as surgery and radiation, which are unlikely to cause infertility in breast cancer survivors. For women who need to undergo other treatments like chemotherapy, their chances of becoming infertile after treatment are increased.

Treatments such as chemotherapy can result in premature ovarian failure or early menopause, a very real concern for women who hope to have a family in the future. But there is hope – some women are able preserve their fertility prior to starting their cancer treatment and others can still build families using other options.

Preserving Fertility Before Treatment

For some women, the type and stage of their breast cancer affords them some time to pursue fertility preservation options. The ability to pursue fertility preservation options is dependent on If your oncologist believes you can delay treatment by a couple of weeks. For those who can, there are two options available to women who’d like to preserve their fertility:

- Egg Freezing: Egg freezing is an option for women who do not have a partner and would not like to create embryos using donor sperm. Thanks to advances in the freezing process, women can now freeze their eggs and thaw them later for future use. When you’re ready to start a family, the eggs would then be thawed, fertilized with their partner’s sperm, and then transferred to the uterus.

- Embryo Banking: For women who have a partner or are comfortable with creating embryos using donor sperm, embryo banking can be the best option. Embryos are more resilient than eggs and are more likely to survive the freezing and thawing process. For this, the patient would undergo an egg retrieval process and the eggs would be fertilized using her partner’s sperm or donor sperm prior to being frozen and stored for future use.

Family Building Without Fertility Preservation

For women who must proceed immediately with breast cancer treatment, fertility preservation is no longer an option. However, there are still options available should they like to have a family in the future. Donor egg IVF, wherein an egg from a donor is fertilized with your partner’s or donor sperm and implanted in your uterus, is an excellent option for women who find their treatment caused infertility.

Breast cancer treatment doesn’t always result in infertility, but it is a very real possibility for those who will be undergoing certain kinds of treatment. If you have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and would like to preserve your fertility for the future, speak your their oncologist and a fertility specialist about your fertility preservation options as soon as possible. If you’d like to learn more about the fertility preservation options available at CRM Orlando, contact us today at 407-740-0909 to speak with one of our fertility experts.

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