1. Checking your fertility after treatment
It’s hard to know exactly how breast cancer treatments will affect your fertility.
You should assume you could still get pregnant unless you haven’t had a period for at least a year after completing your treatment if you’re 40 or over, or 2 years if you’re under 40. However, this is a general guide and varies for each person.
Even if your periods have not started again, you may still be producing eggs and could become pregnant. If your periods have returned, this does not necessarily mean that your fertility has not been affected.
After your treatment has finished there’s no totally reliable way of checking how treatment has affected fertility.
Your fertility specialist may:
- Ask you about your periods and any menopausal symptoms
- Offer you blood tests to check your hormone levels
- Offer you a transvaginal ultrasound scan to look at your ovaries
You may have to wait 3 to 6 months after has finished before your hormone levels can be tested.
Tamoxifen can sometimes make blood test results less reliable. If you’re taking tamoxifen, your fertility specialist may recommend you stop taking it for a few weeks before having blood tests to check your hormone levels.
If your fertility does return after chemotherapy, you’re still likely to have an earlier menopause. Because of this, you may be referred to a fertility clinic if you’ve been trying to get pregnant for 6 months.
If you’re having periods, you can check if and when you’re ovulating using ovulation prediction kits sold in chemists.
2. Pregnancy after breast cancer
Deciding whether to try to get pregnant after a breast cancer diagnosis can be difficult.
If you’re able to get pregnant and have a baby after your breast cancer treatment, there’s no evidence that you’re at increased risk of the cancer returning. There’s also no evidence that there are any health risks for children born after breast cancer treatment.
Do I need to wait before trying for a baby?
Many treatment teams advise women to wait for at least 2 years after treatment has finished before becoming pregnant. This is because the possibility of the cancer coming back can lessen over time, and you may be at greatest risk in the first 2 years after diagnosis.
If you’d prefer not to wait for 2 years, speak to your treatment team. They can help you make an informed choice, taking into account your individual risk of the cancer coming back and your own circumstances.
Hormone (endocrine) therapy
Find out more about hormone (endocrine) therapy and what side effects you might have.
Pregnancy and hormone therapy
If you’re offered hormone therapy, it’s usually taken for 5 to 10 years, by which time you may have a natural menopause.
Some women choose to take a break from hormone treatment if they want to try to get pregnant. They can then restart treatment after the birth of their baby if they’re able to get pregnant.
An ongoing study is looking into the safety of interrupting hormone therapy to try to get pregnant. If this is something you’d like to consider, speak to your treatment team.
Many treatment teams advise women to wait for at least 2 years before becoming pregnant. This is because the possibility of the cancer coming back can lessen over time, and you may be at greatest risk in the first 2 years after diagnosis. If you’d like to take a break from your hormone therapy before 2 years, speak to your treatment team.
If you’re planning to get pregnant after you’ve finished taking hormone treatment, it’s best to allow time for the drug to leave your body completely. The amount of time you need to wait will depend on which drugs you were taking. It may be up to 3 months. Your treatment team will discuss this with you.
Egg donation
If your treatment has damaged your ovaries, you may be able to become pregnant using donated eggs. They’re fertilised with sperm from your partner or donor and the embryo is transferred to your womb.
The procedure involves taking hormone drugs for about 2 weeks to prepare your womb to receive the embryo. You usually continue to take the drugs for up to 12 weeks if you become pregnant.
Currently there’s no evidence that taking these hormone drugs increases the risk of breast cancer coming back, but research in this area is ongoing.
If you have a child using donated eggs, sperm or embryos, your child will have the right to access identifying information about the donor when they turn 18.
Find out more information about egg donation on the HFEA website.
3. Facing permanent loss of fertility
After breast cancer treatment, you might face the possibility of permanently losing your fertility.
This can be very difficult to come to terms with, especially if it comes at a time when you were planning to start a family or before you have completed your family. It may change how you feel about yourself and you may feel intense grief at the loss your cancer has caused.
You may find it helpful to talk to a specialist counsellor. Your breast care nurse, treatment team or GP should be able to arrange this.
You might also find it useful to talk to one of the specialist organisations listed below. As well as offering emotional support, they may be able to offer information on other options such as surrogacy, adoption or fostering.
Surrogacy
Surrogacy involves another woman carrying a baby for you.
This can be an option if you cannot become pregnant or if you do not want to take a break from your hormone treatment. This can be done either using your own or donor eggs or embryos depending on your circumstances.
You can find surrogacy organisations listed below. You can also find information about surrogacy on the HFEA website.
Adoption and fostering
Some people choose to adopt or foster a child.
There are many children waiting to be adopted or fostered in the UK and abroad. However, adoption and fostering can be a difficult and long process.
You can find adoption and fostering organisations that offer information and support listed in the section below.
4. Useful organisations
Adoption UK
Provides information about adoption and support for adoptive families.
Brilliant Beginnings
A UK agency helping surrogates and intended parents to come together to pursue surrogacy.
British Infertility Counselling Association
A charity providing counselling and support to people affected by infertility. You can also find a counsellor in your area.
CoramBAAF
Provides information on adoption and fostering, and works with everyone involved with adoption and fostering across the UK.
COTS: Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy
A UK-based charity to help people get in touch with potential surrogates.
The Daisy Network
Voluntary nationwide support group for women who experience a premature menopause. Allows members to share information about their personal experience of premature menopause.
Donor Conception Network
A supportive network for donor conception families.
Fertility Friends
An online community discussing infertility, adoption, parenting after infertility and moving on.
Fertility Network UK
Provides support and information, and promotes awareness of fertility issues.
Surrogacy UK
Surrogacy UK was created by experienced surrogate mothers. They wanted to form an organisation that reflected their experience of what makes surrogacy work.
5. Finding support
Whatever your feelings, you don’t have to cope alone. You may find it helpful to share your thoughts with another person whose fertility has been affected by breast cancer treatment.
- Our Someone Like Me service can put you in touch with someone who’s had a similar experience to you – see below
- Chat to other people with breast cancer on our online forum
- Meet other women at one of our Younger Women Together support events – see below
You can also call our free helpline below to talk to one of our specialist nurses.
