I am 33 years old, about to get married, but I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. After cancer treatment, can I get pregnant and give birth? (Tieu Vy, Dong Thap)
Reply:
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. There are many methods of treating breast cancer, such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy. Each method has a different level of impact on a woman's ability to become pregnant and have children.
If the patient only has breast tumor removal surgery to treat cancer without radiation and chemotherapy, it will not greatly affect future fertility.
In cases of chemotherapy, breast cancer patients are at risk of premature ovarian failure or early menopause. The ability to become pregnant after chemotherapy depends largely on the patient's age as well as the type and dosage of chemotherapy drugs used.
The later the cancer is diagnosed, the more chemotherapy drugs are likely to be used. High overall chemotherapy doses may increase the risk of infertility.
The younger the patient, the greater the chance of having children later. Women over 40 are more likely to go through menopause after chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can increase the risk of birth defects. Therefore, patients should use non-hormonal contraception such as condoms during chemotherapy to avoid pregnancy.
Doctor Anh Tuan (right) performs surgery on a breast cancer patient at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Provided by the hospital
Women with breast cancer who are treated with hormone therapy may experience changes in their menstrual cycle, loss of menstruation, or the ovaries no longer producing eggs. Hormone therapy usually lasts at least 5 years, and patients should not become pregnant while taking hormone therapy. After hormone therapy ends, the patient's menstrual cycle begins again, and pregnancy can occur.
Targeted therapy is less likely to harm healthy cells than chemotherapy. However, women should wait at least 6 months to a year after finishing treatment before becoming pregnant.
Young women with breast cancer may be prescribed ovarian suppression drugs. After treatment ends, the patient can still become pregnant again.
Women who have undergone ovarian suppression radiotherapy or oophorectomy are at risk of having a miscarriage. If both ovaries are removed, the woman will no longer be able to conceive naturally. She can become pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) using donated eggs.
Before cancer treatment, patients are often advised by obstetricians about egg freezing, to store healthy eggs, to facilitate the process of giving birth after the treatment is completed.
In your case, before treatment, you should inform your doctor about your pregnancy and childbirth plans to get advice on the most suitable regimen. You need to wait at least 6-12 months from the last treatment course before getting pregnant.
MD.CKI Do Anh Tuan
Department of Breast Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City
| Readers ask questions about cancer here for doctors to answer |
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