What you need to know about breast cancer and fertility preservation
The doctors at our Indianapolis fertility clinic want women to know more about breast cancer and fertility preservation. Some women think that their dream of building a family ends with a breast cancer diagnosis, but that doesn’t have to be the case. There are numerous ways a woman with this type of cancer can preserve her fertility.
Breast cancer and fertility preservation
While breast cancer treatments like radiation don’t always affect fertility, chemotherapy can damage a woman’s eggs. If she requires chemotherapy, there are two primary types of fertility preservation that the specialists at our Indianapolis fertility clinic recommend.
Egg freezing allows a woman to save healthy eggs before chemotherapy. This process consists of the woman taking ovulation induction medications to help her produce multiple eggs. Next, a doctor retrieves those eggs during a short outpatient procedure. An embryologist then flash freezes and stores the eggs for later use.
Embryo freezing is a good option if a woman is with the man who she would like to have children with or wants to utilize a sperm donor. This involves a doctor retrieving her mature eggs, after she takes ovulation induction medications. An embryologist then fertilizes the eggs with the sperm of her partner or a donor and freezes the resulting embryos.
Our knowledgeable team supports women navigating breast cancer and fertility preservation to help them decide whether embryo or egg freezing is the best option for their unique situation.
What happens next?
In the case of egg freezing, when the woman is ready to become pregnant, a specialist thaws her eggs and then fertilizes them with the sperm of her partner or a donor. One of our Indianapolis fertility clinic doctors then transfers one of the resulting embryos to her uterus.
When a woman with frozen embryos is ready to build her family, a specialist thaws one of her embryos and a doctor then transfers it to her uterus.
We understand how challenging it can be to face a cancer diagnosis at any time, but especially before you’ve been able to start your family. Our goal is to help ensure you have the chance to fulfill your dream of parenthood after moving past cancer.
Contact us for more information about breast cancer and fertility preservation.