There is a link between breast cancer and fertility, not because of the disease itself, but because of certain treatments. While any cancer diagnosis is devastating for any person, breast cancer is a significant issue for women who want to conceive a child.  A Honolulu fertility clinic, Pacific In Vitro Fertilization Institute, will discuss in more detail below.

Breast Cancer Treatments

First, it should be noted that not every breast cancer treatment causes infertility. For many patients, effective treatment types include lumpectomy, mastectomy, and radiation—none of which are linked to infertility. There are also experimental breast cancer medications, which have allowed women to conceive following treatment. When it comes to infertility, the issue lies with treatments such as chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, which affect ovulation. It is highly recommended that women who wish to conceive, and are about to undergo a whole body cancer treatment, visit a fertility clinic.

Chemotherapy

Women with advanced breast cancer, which has spread (or threatens to spread) to other parts of the body, often require chemotherapy; it affects the entire body instead of targeted areas. Since this therapy has such a strong effect on healthy tissues, as well as cancer cells, reproductive systems may fall victim to collateral damage; however, this depends on genetics, age, and the type of chemotherapy drugs used.

Hormone Therapy

With hormone therapy, the goal is to stop or slow the hormone sensitive tumors by blocking the body’s ability to produce hormones or interferes with the effects of hormones on breast cancer cells. 

Approximately 2 out of 3 different types of breast cancers are hormone-receptor positive, and their cells have receptors that attach to estrogen and/or progesterone.

If breast cancer affects you and your interest in conceiving, call a fertility clinic as soon as possible following your diagnosis. With fertility preservation, in vitro fertilization, and other infertility treatments, it is becoming possible for cancer survivors to become pregnant. To reach Pacific In Vitro Fertilization Institute in Honolulu, call (808) 946-2226. More information is also available on their website.