Breast Cancer & Fertility: Is Freezing Eggs An Option?

Breast cancer continues to be a serious threat to the lives of women around the globe. Despite advancements in treatment, one of the major challenges breast cancer patients face is fertility preservation. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy can negatively affect reproductive health, making options like egg freezing increasingly important for patients.

While breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, lifesaving treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy can damage ovarian function, often leading to premature menopause or decreased fertility. For women of reproductive age who wish to have children in the future, fertility preservation through assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as egg freezing and IVF, has become a critical option.

The Long-Term Outlook: Using Frozen Eggs After Breast Cancer

For many breast cancer patients, the prospect of infertility can add emotional distress to an already challenging diagnosis. Fertility preservation methods, such as egg freezing, offer not just a medical solution but emotional relief, giving patients hope for a future where parenthood is still possible.

The impact of cancer treatments on reproductive health is particularly concerning for patients in their reproductive years. Chemotherapy, although vital in cancer treatment, can severely harm ovarian function and reduce the number of viable eggs. Similarly, pelvic radiation and hormonal treatments can lead to decreased ovarian function and early menopause. In males, although breast cancer is rare, chemotherapy and radiation can affect sperm quality, posing similar reproductive risks. This highlights the increasing need for ART, particularly IVF, among cancer patients wanting to preserve fertility during treatment.

IVF procedures allow cancer patients the possibility of preserving their fertility for the future. Many patients undergo this procedure because it is often imperative to proceed with chemotherapy. The ovaries are stimulated to produce several eggs, which are then harvested, fertilized with sperm to form embryos, or stored for future use. Frozen gametes or embryos can be preserved for several years, offering hope to couples who want to have children after treatment.

As breast cancer patients seek options to gracefully age and someday raise a family, egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, has witnessed a significant rise in demand. The process involves the use of cryoprotectants – chemicals that safeguard the oocyte during freezing.

These advancements have improved the chances of eggs remaining intact and viable after thawing, crucial for women who’ve survived breast cancer and may rely on their preserved ovarian tissue in an attempt to conceive later.

Egg freezing before cancer treatment offers women the option of bearing children after recovery. AI is increasingly used in fertility treatments, helping predict egg and embryo quality by analyzing large data sets, which improves personalized treatment. This ensures that only good-quality embryos or eggs are selected for freezing, enhancing the chances of pregnancy success.

Vitrification, a rapid freezing process, has become the standard for egg freezing due to significantly better survival rates than older methods. This advancement has substantially improved the success rate of pregnancies from frozen eggs. After being medically cleared and in remission, breast cancer survivors can use previously frozen eggs for IVF to conceive. Women who freeze their eggs at younger ages benefit from a higher success rate of egg fertilization.

For women who did not preserve their eggs before cancer treatment but are now disease-free, post-cancer fertility management is still challenging but possible. It is even possible that with partial functionality of the ovaries, natural conception may be possible with the aid of IVF to increase the chances of pregnancy.

Even so, hormone-dependent breast cancers present complications for IVF. In these cases, ovarian stimulation may unintentionally fuel cancer growth, making natural cycle IVF or minimal hormone stimulation a safer approach. Managing these risks is particularly important for cancer survivors, as pregnancy can increase the risk of cancer recurrence or other complications.

Healthcare providers play a vital role in discussing fertility preservation options with patients as early as possible. Oncologists and fertility specialists should work collaboratively to ensure that cancer treatment plans incorporate discussions about reproductive health, enabling patients to make informed decisions about their future.

In conclusion, fertility preservation is a crucial consideration for women facing breast cancer. As advancements in medical treatments continue to improve survival rates, patients need to be informed about their reproductive options. Early discussions about fertility preservation, including egg freezing and assisted reproductive technologies, can provide hope and empowerment, allowing women to envision a future that includes the possibility of motherhood.

By prioritizing fertility preservation as an integral part of cancer treatment plans, healthcare providers can help patients navigate their journey with the reassurance that their dreams of family life remain attainable, even in the face of a challenging diagnosis.

Authored by Dr. Spoorthy Chennamaneni, IVF Specialist, Ferty9 Fertility Center, Kukatpally. Views expressed by the author are their own.