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Can You Get Fertility Treatment After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis? Your Options and Solutions

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, more than 360,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024. When detected at its earliest stages the survival rate for breast cancer is 99 percent. However, patients with breast cancer often put their life plans on hold, like family building, as they must quickly start cancer treatments. 

As patients consider their treatment options, they're often left wondering: Can I still have children after cancer treatment? The good news is yes! Several fertility preservation and treatment options are available for patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Here's what breast cancer is, how cancer treatments affect the body, and what fertility options are available to people with breast cancer.

What is Breast Cancer and How is it Treated?

Cancer is a disease where abnormal cells grow uncontrollably and spread to various parts of the body through metastasis. Cancers can originate in different parts of the body, like lungs, colon, and breast tissue.

Genetic, lifestyle, and environmental conditions, like BRCA genes or smoking/vaping, can cause breast cancer. Breast cancer alone doesn't affect fertility, but cancer treatments significantly impact fertility. 

There are several distinct types of breast cancer that require different treatments. Here's a few: 

• Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) - Where abnormal cells are found within the lining of breast milk ducts. Considered highly treatable but can become invasive if left untreated. It’s often treated with Lumpectomies, radiation therapy, or hormonal therapy.
• Invasive Ductal Carcinoma - The most common type of breast cancer that develops in milk ducts and spreads into nearby tissue. It's treatable if detected early. Treatments include mastectomies, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or targeted therapy using medication like Herceptin.
• Invasive Lobular Carcinoma - A cancer that grows in lobules, known as glands, which produce milk. Treatable but hard to detect with methods like Mammograms. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy are frequently used to treat this cancer type.
• Hormone Receptor-Positive (HR+) Breast Cancer - A unique form of cancer with estrogen and progesterone receptors that grow in response to the presence of these hormones. Lumpectomies, radiation therapy, or hormone therapies like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors are used to treat this cancer type.
• Metastatic Breast Cancer (Stage IV) - Where breast cancer tissue spreads to other parts of the body like the liver, bones, or lungs. It's not curable, but it's manageable with ongoing systemic therapy and palliative care.

How Breast Cancer Treatments Affect Fertility

Cancer treatments, or a combination of different cancer treatments, heavily impact fertility. Here's how:

• Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy drugs are toxic to ovarian follicle health, which can cause temporary or permanent infertility. Infertility risk factors depend on the patient's age, drug treatment composition, dosage, and duration. It's possible to remain fertile after treatment, yet others may experience long-term effects or permanent infertility.
• Radiation Therapy - Radiation applied to the pelvic area can damage ovaries and impact their ability to produce eggs. Radiation aprons and shields can be worn during exams to reduce radiation exposure to the pelvis and breasts.
• Hormonal Therapy - Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitor treatment regimens last a few years. The prolonged exposure to these drugs can delay pregnancy. Before starting hormonal therapy, patients should share their family-building goals with their healthcare team from the beginning of treatment planning.
• Surgery - Surgeries like mastectomies or lumpectomies don’t impact fertility but can impact breastfeeding capabilities. However, some treatments may require the removal of cancer-affected tissue like the ovaries, which causes infertility.

Fertility Options and Solutions

Time is of the essence after a positive breast cancer diagnosis. It’s best to immediately schedule a consultation with a fertility specialist so they can review your diagnosis and create a fertility treatment plan ASAP. There are a variety of treatment options available:

• Freeze eggs or sperm - Fertility preservation is the go-to treatment to ensure breast cancer patients can conceive after treatment. Most clinics will fast-track cancer patients through the egg freezing process so they can quickly begin treatment. Once a patient's cycle plan is established, their clinic will prescribe the necessary medications to increase follicle development and ovulation in preparation for the next cycle start. 
  
  Men with breast cancer should also quickly freeze their sperm once a positive diagnosis is determined. Sperm banks will quickly freeze their sperm to create embryos later. Sperm collection is easier than egg retrievals, and men can quickly provide several samples. Your fertility specialist will make the right recommendation based on your, or your partner's, cancer diagnosis.
  
  
• Donor eggs and sperm - Some patients may need to start cancer treatment immediately, preventing them from freezing their eggs and sperm in time. Other patients may experience infertility post-treatment. Clinics will suggest using donor eggs or sperm to conceive for both situations.
  
  Donor eggs and/or sperm can be used to create embryos that can then be transferred to the patient. Depending on a doctor's recommendation, a gestational carrier may be required to carry the embryo should a patient's condition post-cancer be unsuitable to transfer the embryo.

Every patient’s medical condition is unique, and some treatments may be more suitable than others.

Schedule a Consultation at Pacific Fertility Center

Reviewing fertility treatment options after a breast cancer diagnosis is a deep, personal journey. Factoring cancer treatments into family planning goals can feel overwhelming, but patients should feel empowered by advances in cancer treatments and the number of fertility options available today.

At Pacific Fertility Center, we’re here to provide compassionate guidance and expert care to help you explore every option available to you to make the best decisions for your future. Your family-building dreams don’t have to be put on hold — Take the first step by scheduling a consultation today.

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