Chemotherapy and Egg Freezing
Monday, October 25, 2021
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer and need to undergo chemotherapy, you will need to bear in mind fertility preservation options.
Chemotherapy can cause infertility in premenopausal women (women that have not been through menopause).
Chemotherapy affects the function of the ovaries consequently reducing the number and/or quality of the eggs.
Chemotherapy can also cause amenorrhea (when the period stops) this may be temporary (for women under the age of 35) or permanent (women over the age of 35).
Getting your period after chemotherapy does not guarantee the quality or the number of your eggs.
A breast cancer diagnosis should not and does not impede on your dream of having a family or expanding your family.
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer and need to undergo chemotherapy, the best time to discuss your fertility with your OB is before undergoing chemotherapy.
Egg freezing prior to chemotherapy will enable the fertility specialist to retrieve healthy eggs preserving your fertility. Once the eggs are frozen, they can be used at any point after chemotherapy.
Finally, cancer is often hereditary and can be passed on to future generations. With the help of genetic testing, you can determine the risk of passing hereditary diseases to your children. Fakih IVF has a full-service Genetics laboratory that can help couples carry out a complete genetic test to detect if they carry any hereditary diseases or conditions that can be passed on to their children. Genetic screening of embryos can ensure that babies conceived through IVF do not carry breast cancer mutation BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are known to increase the likelihood of breast cancer.
For any queries related to fertility preservation, contact us by calling 40350111.
