Getting pregnant after radiation therapy. How long before you can get pregnant after radiation therapy? Pregnancy after cancer: how to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby

09.05.2024

Now medicine makes it possible to prevent problems such as infertility. One of the main side effects of antitumor therapy is its negative impact on the male reproductive system. Oncologists advise storing sperm before treatment to protect yourself from possible infertility as a result of toxic treatment. Advances in cancer therapy give patients with a similar diagnosis a chance for a new life.

Cancer is no longer a scary diagnosis. Modern methods of antitumor treatment (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) allow the patient to cope with the disease and return to a full life after treatment.

For men, the most common tumors are:

trachea, bronchi, lung - 18.4%
prostate gland - 12.9%
skin - 11.4%
stomach - 8.6%
colon - 5.9%
lymphatic and circulatory tissue – 4.8%

Favorable treatment prognosis*

* with timely detection of the disease

Negative consequences of oncology treatment

The survival rate for malignant neoplasms has increased significantly in recent years. In Russia, it grows annually by 4.4% according to WHO. But aggressive cancer treatment has side effects. Basic consequences of chemotherapy and radiation therapy:

hair loss
anemia
change in appetite
temporary or permanent infertility
nausea and vomiting
skin and nail changes
weakness
bleeding disorder
infectious complications

Unfortunately, the average age of cancer patients in Russia decreases every year. Today, among cancer patients, a significant proportion are men and women of reproductive age: 20-40 years. Many of them are concerned with the question: What are the consequences of a malignant disease and how does chemotherapy treatment affect the ability to have children in the future? Not many people think about these consequences before starting antitumor treatment. It is important to remember that among the main consequences of chemotherapy- its negative impact on the male reproductive system:

Sperm suppression

Damage to the genetic apparatus of germ cells

Sperm suppression.

Under the influence of chemotherapy, there is a significant reduction in sperm, as well as a deterioration in their motility. Thus, the quality of the reproductive material decreases, which ultimately leads to infertility. Men who plan to become a father after treatment may experience great difficulty conceiving.

Damage to the genetic apparatus.

You should discuss the possibility of infertility after chemotherapy with your doctor in advance. It has been proven that some toxic drugs cause genetic changes in germ cells. In the future, these disorders can be transmitted to the child during conception. Particularly negative on a man's ability to have children in the future influenced by drugs used for chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide and cisplatin.

Radiation therapy can subsequently lead to infertility. Irradiation sharply reduces the level of sperm motility. With a dose of no more than 0.7 g, complete restoration of spermatogenesis occurs after 1.5-2 years. With total irradiation of the entire body, fertility is not restored.

Particular attention to the negative consequences of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the treatment of oncology should be paid to men with cancer of the reproductive organs: testicular seminoma, prostate tumors, penis. And if a man is still planning to become a father, it is important to think about the consequences of antitumor therapy in advance.

The high toxicity of radiation and chemotherapy leads* to:

*Using the example of Hodgkin's lymphoma

How to avoid infertility after cancer treatment

In recent decades, medicine has stepped forward - modern technologies make it possible to prevent such consequences of chemotherapy. Nowadays, sperm cryopreservation is a generally accepted method of preserving fertility in men with malignant neoplasms, allowing them to have children in the future.

An important condition for ensuring the success of cryopreservation is freezing sperm before treatment, since cell quality and DNA integrity can be impaired even after a single course of antitumor therapy. But doctors recommend resorting to cryopreservation even after starting radiation or chemotherapy. Since with each subsequent course of treatment the quality of sperm will deteriorate, to avoid irreversible consequences It is extremely important to freeze it as early as possible.

You can use your frozen sperm at any time. There is no need to wait several years until spermatogenesis is completely restored. Conceive a child possible using the method IVF or insemination:

With in vitro fertilization (IVF), the fusion of an egg and a sperm occurs in a laboratory “in vitro”. As a result, an embryo is formed, which after 2 - 6 days is implanted into the woman’s uterus, where the fetus attaches and begins to develop. Thus, pregnancy occurs. Conception using IVF is a modern, proven method of assisted reproductive technology. Such a pregnancy is no different from a natural one.
Artificial insemination is a more economical, but also less effective way of conception. During insemination, sperm is artificially introduced into the woman's uterine cavity.

Freezing sperm is a reliable way to preserve male fertility and has several advantages:

Frozen sperm can be used at any time and delivered to any clinic at the right time
Children born using stored sperm are no different from those conceived naturally
The shelf life of frozen sperm is unlimited. There are known cases of children being born using sperm stored for more than 20 years.
The quality of reproductive cells does not change in any way throughout the entire storage period.

Many women, having undergone a course of chemotherapy during cancer treatment, are afraid to have children, believing that the child may take on a genetic predisposition to cancer or be born with abnormalities. Some people believe that pregnancy after chemotherapy is impossible due to reproductive problems.

Undoubtedly, chemotherapy drugs have a destructive effect on the female body, and in particular on the ability to conceive and bear children. But doctors note that the endometrium does not suffer, which means that the uterus is capable of receiving a fertilized egg. This increases the chance of bearing a healthy baby.

What effect does chemotherapy have on a woman’s organs?

The function of the ovaries decreases or is lost completely, this is expressed in a decrease in the number of follicles that mature into an egg for further fertilization. If the follicles are destroyed, amenorrhea occurs and menstruation is absent. This may continue for several months, and then the cycle is restored and the woman is able to become pregnant again. The prognosis depends on the drugs used to treat oncology.
The uterus practically does not suffer from chemotherapy, but its blood supply and ability to grow may be impaired, which cannot but affect the course of pregnancy. The woman does not become infertile, but there is a risk of being unable to bear a child. Pregnancy after chemotherapy is fraught with miscarriage or premature birth. A negative consequence may be placenta accreta or the baby being too light.

If the ability to become pregnant is lost, a woman can use other methods of conceiving a child.

Is it possible to get pregnant during chemotherapy?

Drugs used to treat oncology have different destructive effects on a woman’s body. This depends on the following factors:

woman's age;
type of medication and degree of toxicity;
duration of chemotherapy course.

The main side effect after treatment is amenorrhea, in younger girls the menstrual cycle can be restored, and in older women, menopause usually occurs.

The effect of chemotherapy on a woman’s ability to conceive has not been fully studied; science cannot definitively say whether pregnancy will occur or not. Therefore, every woman of childbearing age undergoing treatment should take care of contraception. Pregnancy while undergoing chemotherapy is strictly not recommended. This is due to the following negative consequences:

pathological development of the fetus or its death due to the toxic effects of heavy chemicals;
When pregnancy occurs, the female body begins to rebuild and prepare for bearing a child, hormonal levels change, which can cause a sharp increase in malignant neoplasms and the appearance of metastases.

Therefore, during treatment, the doctor selects the method of contraception individually, but if pregnancy occurs, it must be terminated.

Pregnancy after chemotherapy

After undergoing a course of chemotherapy, not every woman will dare to give birth, especially since the risk of becoming infertile is very high. But still, many people wonder whether pregnancy is possible after chemotherapy. For many women, reproductive function is restored over time, the period depends on many factors:

localization and severity of oncology;
types of drugs used for treatment;
duration of treatment;
the state of the immune system and the body’s ability to recover;
woman's age.

Based on average indicators, young and strong women recover in 3-5 years. A woman under 30 years of age is quite capable of conceiving a child and carrying it to term without resorting to auxiliary methods. Those who are over 30 years old may not recover, but are quite capable of giving birth to a baby using artificial insemination.

Chemotherapy in men

Treatment of oncology in men also includes courses of chemotherapy, which negatively affects the reproductive capabilities of the body, which is expressed in the following changes:

The motility and number of sperm deteriorate significantly, which significantly reduces the ability to fertilize a female egg. Thus, a man can become infertile.
The drugs used for treatment have a toxic effect on the germ cells, causing genetic changes in them. When a child is conceived, he or she can take on these cells; the birth of such children can result in deformity. The greatest negative impact on the reproductive function of men is exerted by such medications as: Cisplatin, Cyclophosphamide.
Irradiation of cancer cells can also lead to male infertility, this is due to the fact that radiation therapy has a detrimental effect on sperm motility. In young men, recovery occurs after 1.5 – 2 years. If the irradiation was total, fertility may not be restored.

Oncology of the reproductive organs has a particularly negative effect on a man’s ability to fertilize female cells.

Side effects after chemotherapy

Chemotherapy drugs are administered intravenously and have a detrimental effect not only on cancer cells, but also on healthy ones. A patient undergoing chemotherapy feels unwell, but then improvement occurs, pathological cells are destroyed and the body begins to gradually recover.

Normal cells are affected to a lesser extent, this is due to the fact that pathological cells divide faster, and the drugs mainly affect them. In addition, healthy cells have the ability to recover, despite the side effects suffered:

baldness, most often complete;
development of osteoporosis;
anemia;
the most severe complication is leukemia;
problems with the heart and blood vessels;
nausea accompanied by vomiting;
stomach and intestinal problems can cause complete loss of appetite;
stool disorders;
psychoemotional disorders;
swelling;
complete loss or temporary decrease in reproductive function;
inflammation of the eyes, accompanied by lacrimation.

The severity of side effects after treatment with chemotherapy depends on the type of cancer, the age and body of the patient, as well as the composition of the medications. Chemotherapy does not always have a negative effect on a man's fertility or a woman's ability to bear children.

Men can be susceptible to psychosomatics; this often causes temporary impotence and loss of interest in intimacy. At such moments, it is very important to support the man morally; over time, sexual function can be fully restored. After a course of treatment for two years, a man must use barrier protection (condoms) to avoid conception and the birth of an underdeveloped child. Physical and mental abnormalities may not reveal themselves immediately, but may appear in a child after a few years.

When pregnancy occurs immediately after chemotherapy, a woman is usually offered an abortion; the risk of developing fetal pathologies and premature birth is too high.

How to restore reproductive function after chemotherapy?

Today, there are modern methods for restoring reproductive function. To eliminate disorders after radiation therapy and chemotherapy, special treatment is prescribed:

taking antioxidants, which have the property of attracting toxins and removing them from the body; they are mainly found in fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs;
agonists that affect germ cells, inhibiting their function for the duration of treatment, so they are minimally exposed to chemicals;
phytohormones to restore hormonal levels and the ability to conceive;
herbs that restore egg maturation.

If the ability to conceive is lost, IVF can be used. The older a woman is, the fewer eggs in her body mature and the less likely she is to become pregnant. Therefore, before starting a course of chemotherapy, a woman is offered to preserve healthy eggs and save them until a favorable period for fertilization.

Male infertility does not always occur after a course of chemotherapy. In young men, fertility often returns spontaneously after a few months. If sperm are motile but unable to leave the testicles, surgical treatment is performed.

Some men agree to donate sperm for storage for later use to fertilize their wife's cells. Modern science has the opportunity to select the most mobile samples and apply them in the future.

An important aspect for restoring reproductive function is lifestyle, adequate nutrition, sleep and rest patterns, and the presence of positive emotions.

The risk of cancer in a child

Children born to parents with cancer are no more at risk of developing cancer than those born to healthy parents. A child can only genetically inherit a predisposition to cancer.

There are no registered cases of the development of cancerous tumors in children born from cured parents. But to conceive a healthy child, it is better to plan pregnancy 2-3 years after a course of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or radiation. These recommendations are related to the need to restore the body of women and men after taking highly toxic drugs.

06.04.2017

Pregnancy during cervical cancer is rare, occurring in approximately 3% of cases. Women aged 28-32 years are at risk.

With pregnancy, the neoplasm process rapidly progresses, so experts give a disappointing prognosis.

The age from 21 to 35 years is called childbearing, at this age women are interested: is it possible to get pregnant with such a diagnosis? It is possible to get pregnant with cervical cancer, but doctors do not recommend doing this until the woman is cured. The pathology interferes with normal gestation.

All methods of combating pathology reduce the chances of getting pregnant to zero. This is due to:

performing a hysterectomy (surgery to remove the cervix);
radiation therapy. After treatment, the ovaries do not perform their functions.

If a cervical tumor (CC) is diagnosed early, treatment is prescribed in the form of conization or loop excision. During such operations, the uterus is not injured and remains intact, and the patient has a chance to become pregnant after the operation.

But such types of therapy are acceptable in the early stages of cancer development.

There is one method of surgical intervention when the cervix is amputated. This operation is called trachelectomy. Doctors remove the cervix and the upper part of the vagina, which contains the pelvic lymph nodes. As a result of the operation, the vagina becomes shorter. This operation is not new and has been used for 12 years. After the end of treatment, women easily became pregnant and carried children. But there are also disadvantages of trachelectomy ⏤ premature birth and miscarriages. This occurs due to the lack of supporting function performed by the cervix.

The woman will not be able to give birth on her own, since the opening of the cervix was sutured, so only a caesarean section is performed. The cervix can be amputated only in the early stages of cancer development. No doctor will give you a full guarantee of how much will be done.

Histological examination for cancer cells is carried out during surgery, so the course of the operation can change at any moment.

Doctors do not rule out the possibility that cancer cells can quickly spread to the uterus, so it is possible that the uterus will also be removed when the cervix is removed.

When a patient is diagnosed with cancer at stage 1a or 1b, the pelvic lymph nodes are also removed along with the cervix. Because it is possible that there are no cancer cells in these lymph nodes. If they are not removed, then after a certain time the oncology will make itself felt again.

At the initial stage of tumor development, the lymph nodes are practically not affected by cancer cells. But, if suddenly they were noticed in at least one node, then after surgery they carry out radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is a cause of infertility.

Pregnancy with cervical cancer

It all depends on how far into the pregnancy you are with cervical cancer:

When a woman is in her second or third month, treatment is recommended, since six months after giving birth it may be too late and the pregnancy is terminated;
Pregnancy after 14 weeks is not interrupted, treatment is not carried out. Therapy begins after childbirth. A caesarean section is scheduled and doctors will immediately remove the uterus.

Symptoms of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer during pregnancy has symptoms similar to those not during pregnancy. Additionally, there is a problem with blood discharge (these are the main signs of oncology), during pregnancy they can cause another phenomenon.

In the first months of pregnancy, bleeding can be a sign of miscarriage. Reasons for this: intimacy, physical activity, heavy lifting.

From the 14th week until the end of pregnancy, blood from the vagina may appear due to placental abruption or malpresentation of the fetus. When the patient is carrying a child, the walls of the cervix become sensitive, because of this they are more quickly affected by malignant neoplasms, and the neoplasms rapidly spread beyond its borders.

Metastases often spread to the axillary, subclavian and parasternal lymph nodes. Because of this, pregnancy itself negatively affects the development of cancer. Cancer also negatively affects the pregnancy process. Often pregnancy occurs prematurely or through miscarriage in later stages. A woman is bothered by pain in the pelvic area.

Diagnosis of cancer

In the early stages of pregnancy, bleeding can be the beginning of a miscarriage, and in the latter ⏤ it can be an obstetric pathology, for example, malpresentation or premature placental abruption.

During pregnancy, a woman is seated in a gynecological chair and the cervix is examined. Doctors, fearing for the fetus, are afraid to perform biopsies, which in turn aggravates the situation.

Using cytological screening, you can obtain information about how often cervical cancer is diagnosed in pregnant women (0.36%). Of these, the frequency of detection of pathology of the integumentary epithelium of the cervix with signs of oncology is 0.33%, and with metastases outside the organ - 0.03%.

To diagnose cervical cancer in a pregnant woman, a two-stage diagnostic system is used.

During a gynecological examination, the doctor performs a cytological screening.
If cancer is suspected during cytological screening, then an in-depth comprehensive diagnosis is performed.

Based on the results of laboratory tests, experts determined that pregnancy in the 3rd trimester and the period after childbirth adversely affects the course of cancer.

Cervical cancer treatment

When cervical cancer is diagnosed in the early stages of pregnancy, the pregnancy is interrupted in any case and a small section of the cervix is excised for laboratory testing.

The second and third trimesters are spent under colposcopic (regularly examining the mucous membrane of the cervix and vagina under a special light) and cytological (taking a smear from the vagina for laboratory testing) observation. 3-4 months after birth, a cone-shaped excision of the cervix is performed.

If a pathology of the integumentary epithelium with signs of oncology is diagnosed, cancer is at the initial stage of development, and the woman wants to give birth to a baby, then specialists carry out functionally gentle treatment:

using electrosurgical intervention, a cone-shaped fragment of the cervix is excised (electroconization);
liquid nitrogen (cryodestruction) is used to treat pathological changes in the cervix;
knife or laser amputation of the cervix.

Often specialists use radio wave surgery. Using this treatment method, a non-traumatic incision is made, soft tissue is coagulated, and the tissues themselves are not destroyed. The incision is made due to heat waves generated when soft tissue comes into contact with the electrode. The electrode transmits high-frequency radio waves.

For pain relief, ketamine is used, which is administered intravenously. Complications after surgery are rare. Therapy is selected individually for the patient and depends on her general condition and stage of pregnancy.

Treatment of cancer, which is at stage 1a, in the first months of pregnancy is carried out by extirpation of the uterus along with the upper part of the vagina.
A tumor with stage 1b in early pregnancy or after childbirth is removed along with the uterus. If after the operation specialists notice deep lesions of the uterine walls or regional metastases, then they prescribe external irradiation.
When stage 1b is diagnosed in the later stages, the woman has a cesarean section and the uterus is removed, and a few months after birth she is given external beam radiation therapy.
When the neoplasm is at stage 2a, at any stage of pregnancy, extended hysterectomy and after surgery ⏤ external irradiation are prescribed. If oncology is discovered after childbirth, then irradiation is performed before removing the uterus, and after surgery, if regional metastases and deep invasion are detected, external irradiation is performed.
In the first trimester, with a diagnosis of stage 2b cervical cancer, radiation therapy and external irradiation are used, and the pregnancy itself is terminated. In the second and third trimester, cesarean section and radiation therapy are prescribed.
A tumor at the third stage of development is treated according to the same scheme as the second.

For any operations, endotracheal anesthesia is used.

Getting pregnant after cancer treatment?

After treatment for cancer, it is possible to become pregnant and bear a child, but only if the tumor was diagnosed at the initial stage of development.

Otherwise, you will not be able to get pregnant, so the uterus will be removed.

All women who are faced with cervical cancer are interested in one question: is it possible to get pregnant? Doctors have recommendations on this matter: a child should be conceived no earlier than two years after the operation and after the body has fully recovered. There are cases when the patient is allowed to give birth naturally.

Patients who have overcome cancer are at risk for miscarriage.

If cervical cancer is diagnosed in a woman between the ages of 25 and 35, then treatment must begin sooner, otherwise the tumor may spread to important organs. Treatment will preserve the uterus and give the woman the opportunity to give birth to a baby after a while.

Hello, Daria.

Radiation therapy and pregnancy

Radiation therapy, like treatment with chemical anticancer drugs, always has a destructive effect not only on patients, but also on physiologically healthy tissues of the body. Treatment is primarily aimed at suppressing the activity or destroying cells with a high ability to divide. Such cells include not only dangerous cancer cells, but also blood, mucous, gastrointestinal, and reproductive cells.

If we talk about the male body, those treatment methods that are used for cancer patients, due to the negative impact on reproductive cells, can cause short-term or persistent infertility. Therapy causes a deterioration in the quality of seminal fluid, therefore, immediately at the time of treatment, all patients are advised to take precautions and use contraception.

When planning a pregnancy after radiation therapy, precautions must be taken. If minimal doses of exposure were used during treatment, cell renewal occurs within 3 months after treatment. With increased radiation doses, oncologists say that pregnancy planning can occur no earlier than 2 years after the last course of treatment. The localization of cancer cells is also important, because the effect of radiation therapy is local, i.e. Not the entire body is irradiated, but only the area in which pathogenic cells are present.

Your attending physician and reproductive medicine doctor should tell you in more detail about the possibility of planning a pregnancy, because after such serious therapeutic measures, pregnancy planning is best carried out exclusively under the supervision of experienced doctors.

Reproductive capabilities of men after radiation therapy

The prognosis, unfortunately, is disappointing: most men are diagnosed with complete sterility after radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Spermatozoa are so sensitive to these types of influence that many simply die. This is why many men undergoing treatment for cancer donate semen samples to special storage banks. If complete infertility is observed after treatment, then you can use those sperm samples that have been stored in a cryobank for several years.

There is also a category of men whose reproductive function is restored within a year or two, although initially after radiation therapy they were diagnosed with complete infertility. Spontaneous restoration of sexual activity occurs in young men (up to about 30 years of age), but sometimes positive results can be achieved with surgical treatment.

In answer to your question, we cannot help but say that without the help of a reproductive medicine doctor, a good oncologist and special tests of your partner’s seminal fluid, it is impossible to say anything for sure. Conception is possible, as mentioned earlier, after 3 months. And sometimes years can be wasted to achieve a positive result.

Sincerely, Natalia.

The most common diseases for which radiation therapy is prescribed are cervical oncology and lymph oncology. As a rule, radiation therapy is not the only method of treating cancer; to obtain a positive result, it is used directly in combination with other methods of combating cancer.

To prevent fluid retention in the body, you should limit your intake of salty foods and the amount of fluid you drink. The delay is due to the fact that during the course of therapy, hormonal levels change and the water-salt balance is disturbed. Therefore, you should follow a diet and follow all the instructions of a specialist.

Getting pregnant after radiation therapy

Doctors say everything ambiguously, my attending physician says you already have a child, so there is no need to take risks: (but at the same time, those who have not given birth are told that after 3-5 years of stable remission they can try!

Why take the risk? It’s true, after all, there is already one child. Think, God forbid, then two children will remain orphans.

So, since my mother is a doctor, when all this horror happened, all sorts of professors from the city were brought in.

Now I’ve been in remission for 5 years, ugh ugh.

We visited all possible gynecologists, graduates of sciences and professors with the question of whether it was possible to give birth.

Everyone, everyone says - it’s impossible!

Firstly, there is a high probability that the disease will return and it is not a fact that this time you will be able to get out. Secondly, your eggs have already been irradiated and treated with chemotherapy; not a single doctor can assume that a healthy child will be born.

Only one doctor gave us hope and assured us that it would be possible to give birth in 5 years. She assured me until her relative with the same diagnosis died after giving birth.

Because having experienced this, you pay attention to similar cases, another example of a friend of mine. The same diagnosis, remission, pregnancy and everything started again - I had to have an abortion and again undergo radiation and chemotherapy.

My work colleague, with whom I worked side by side for many years, gave birth and died a year later from leukemia at the age of 29.

An example on the forum http://forum.littleone.ru/showthread.php?t=the girl who created this topic recently died, she had leukemia in childhood, and after her second birth there were irreversible metastases.

Sorry that I write terrible things, but are you really ready to risk leaving your existing child orphan, and the likelihood of this is too high.

Don't be offended if I'm harsh, but this topic is too painful for me, it brings tears to my eyes.

I can’t fully understand that my sister will never have children. But the risk is too high, too. You are luckier; you already have a child.

I'm not offended in any way!

Cancer is different, some of its forms are treatable. Good luck and health to you!

Pregnancy after cancer - chances, risks, prognosis

Some cancer treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, have the potential to reduce fertility in a variety of ways. For some people, physical changes make it more difficult to conceive a child, while for others these changes lead to a complete and lasting decline in fertility. Although there are options available to protect a person's reproductive function during cancer treatment.

It is not always possible to completely preserve fertility during cancer treatment. However, in modern medicine and society, there are several ways to start or expand your family, even if your (or your partner's) fertility has suffered from the effects of cancer treatment.

Pregnancy after cancer: how to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy child?

Auxiliary reproduction:

Treating cancer with chemotherapy can reduce the number of eggs in a woman's ovaries (called ovarian reserve), making it difficult for her to have children naturally. If blood tests and ultrasounds show that a woman has hormonal imbalances or abnormalities in the functioning of the reproductive organs, a fertility specialist may use special assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (a process that involves collecting eggs and fertilizing them), to achieve pregnancy. them outside the body of a woman with cancer, for the purpose of further transfer of the embryo back into her body via IVF). It is important to take into account that in women who have had cancer, the egg reserve is greatly reduced, which can lead to early menopause. Therefore, you need to see a doctor as early as possible if you want pregnancy to occur after cancer.

Donor eggs:

If a woman's ovaries are damaged during cancer treatment (or if a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer and undergoes partial or complete resection) resulting in early menopause, the patient who wishes to become a mother can use another woman's egg .

Donor eggs are fertilized in the laboratory using IVF methods. The fertilized egg (embryo) is then transferred into the uterus of the woman who wants to have a child. A woman's uterus should be healthy. Also, in order for the gestation process to proceed without complications and threats to the life of the mother and baby, the woman will have to use special hormonal drugs for the entire 9 months.

Egg donation at least gives at least one of the parents a chance to have a genetic connection with their child, which, you see, is better than having no offspring at all.

According to the law, a donor egg can belong to one of the relatives of the future parents, a family friend, or a woman from a legal donor agency, who must first pass all the necessary tests and be examined for mental problems.

Surrogate and gestational carriers:

If a woman is unable to carry a child to term, or if pregnancy would jeopardize her health, the services of a surrogate mother (another woman who carries the child during pregnancy) can be used. This procedure is called surrogacy.

The procedure in which an embryo or fertilized egg is implanted into the cervix or uterus of a woman (being able to bear a child) by a man who will be the future father of the child is called artificial insemination. Since each country has different laws, you should always consult with an attorney before considering this option.

Adopting a child:

If you do not want to undergo the above medical procedures but still want to have a child, you may want to consider adoption. To clarify all the nuances, you should contact the adoption agency.

Pregnancy after oncology – questions for the doctor

Below we will consider all the options for questions, the answers to which you should definitely know if chemotherapy (or other oncology treatment methods) provoked infertility:

If infertility occurs after cancer, what are my options for becoming a parent?
What tests do I need to undergo to find out whether the reserve of healthy eggs was damaged during chemotherapy?
How can I confirm that I am infertile (infertile)?
Can you recommend a fertility specialist?
Can the use of hormonal drugs during pregnancy provoke a recurrence of cancer?
Which infertility clinics treat pregnancies after cancer?
How does my age affect my chances?
Where can I find out more about the cost of each option?
Questions at your own discretion.

If a woman has been diagnosed with cancer after childbirth or during pregnancy, we recommend that you read the article: “Cancer and pregnancy - effects on the fetus, diagnosis, treatment.”

One comment

I had radiation in 2008. cervical cancer. I can't have any more children. This is true? who can answer me?

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The information on the site is presented for informational purposes only! It is not recommended to use the described methods and recipes for treating cancer on your own and without consulting a doctor!

What effect does chemotherapy have on a woman’s organs?

The function of the ovaries decreases or is lost completely, this is expressed in a decrease in the number of follicles that mature into an egg for further fertilization. If the follicles are destroyed, amenorrhea occurs and menstruation is absent. This may continue for several months, and then the cycle is restored and the woman is able to become pregnant again. The prognosis depends on the drugs used to treat oncology.
The uterus practically does not suffer from chemotherapy, but its blood supply and ability to grow may be impaired, which cannot but affect the course of pregnancy. The woman does not become infertile, but there is a risk of being unable to bear a child. Pregnancy after chemotherapy is fraught with miscarriage or premature birth. A negative consequence may be placenta accreta or the baby being too light.

If the ability to become pregnant is lost, a woman can use other methods of conceiving a child.

Is it possible to get pregnant during chemotherapy?

Drugs used to treat oncology have different destructive effects on a woman’s body. This depends on the following factors:

woman's age;
type of medication and degree of toxicity;
duration of chemotherapy course.

The main side effect after treatment is amenorrhea, in younger girls the menstrual cycle can be restored, and in older women, menopause usually occurs.

pathological development of the fetus or its death due to the toxic effects of heavy chemicals;
When pregnancy occurs, the female body begins to rebuild and prepare for bearing a child, hormonal levels change, which can cause a sharp increase in malignant neoplasms and the appearance of metastases.

Therefore, during treatment, the doctor selects the method of contraception individually, but if pregnancy occurs, it must be terminated.

Pregnancy after chemotherapy

localization and severity of oncology;
types of drugs used for treatment;
duration of treatment;
the state of the immune system and the body’s ability to recover;
woman's age.

Chemotherapy in men

Treatment of oncology in men also includes courses of chemotherapy, which negatively affects the reproductive capabilities of the body, which is expressed in the following changes:

The motility and number of sperm deteriorate significantly, which significantly reduces the ability to fertilize a female egg. Thus, a man can become infertile.
The drugs used for treatment have a toxic effect on the germ cells, causing genetic changes in them. When a child is conceived, he or she can take on these cells; the birth of such children can result in deformity. The greatest negative impact on the reproductive function of men is exerted by such medications as: Cisplatin, Cyclophosphamide.
Irradiation of cancer cells can also lead to male infertility, this is due to the fact that radiation therapy has a detrimental effect on sperm motility. In young men, recovery occurs after 1.5 – 2 years. If the irradiation was total, fertility may not be restored.

Oncology of the reproductive organs has a particularly negative effect on a man’s ability to fertilize female cells.

Side effects after chemotherapy

baldness, most often complete;
development of osteoporosis;
anemia;
the most severe complication is leukemia;
problems with the heart and blood vessels;
nausea accompanied by vomiting;
stomach and intestinal problems can cause complete loss of appetite;
stool disorders;
psychoemotional disorders;
swelling;
complete loss or temporary decrease in reproductive function;
inflammation of the eyes, accompanied by lacrimation.

When pregnancy occurs immediately after chemotherapy, a woman is usually offered an abortion; the risk of developing fetal pathologies and premature birth is too high.

How to restore reproductive function after chemotherapy?

Today, there are modern methods for restoring reproductive function. To eliminate disorders after radiation therapy and chemotherapy, special treatment is prescribed:

taking antioxidants, which have the property of attracting toxins and removing them from the body; they are mainly found in fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs;
agonists that affect germ cells, inhibiting their function for the duration of treatment, so they are minimally exposed to chemicals;
phytohormones to restore hormonal levels and the ability to conceive;
herbs that restore egg maturation.

Some men agree to donate sperm for storage for later use to fertilize their wife's cells. Modern science has the opportunity to select the most mobile samples and apply them in the future.

An important aspect for restoring reproductive function is lifestyle, adequate nutrition, sleep and rest patterns, and the presence of positive emotions.

The risk of cancer in a child

Children born to parents with cancer are no more at risk of developing cancer than those born to healthy parents. A child can only genetically inherit a predisposition to cancer.

Pregnancy after husband's radiation therapy

Maybe someone had a similar situation?

My husband underwent radiation therapy, and after 6-7 months I became pregnant. The prenatologist said that this is not a direct contraindication to B., because In men, spermatogenesis occurs within 3 months, which means complete renewal of germ cells (spermatozoa) has occurred. But just in case, he sends me to a geneticist. In Kemerovo, as far as I know, we don’t have a good geneticist. And I was already being driven to see doctors, and I was already tired of telling them at what age my periods started, and what illnesses my relatives had! Each specialist considers it his duty to schedule a repeat test and only after that declare that everything is in order.

In general, girls who have visited a geneticist, is it worth going to him or is it a waste of time?

Chat for moms

You are missing here!

I wouldn't go, to be honest. True, wait for the ultrasound. Otherwise, you will be prescribed a bunch of the same tests again (half of them are paid). It seems to me that you are doing well!

The spermatogenesis cycle actually lasts about 3 months, but gamma rays unfortunately also affect the ultrastructure of immature precursors.

They irradiated the head and covered the whole body with lead. Do you know if these rays could still reach the germ cells?

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women on baby.ru

Our pregnancy calendar reveals to you the features of all stages of pregnancy - an extremely important, exciting and new period of your life.

We will tell you what will happen to your future baby and you in each of the forty weeks.

Pregnancy after chemotherapy

Having survived cancer, many patients are aware of the negative effects of chemotherapy and are subsequently afraid of becoming pregnant, citing the child’s possible predisposition to cancer, developmental disorders and congenital defects. Also, patients’ fear of losing their child in utero deprives them of the most important emotional well-being - being parents.

Many women, not receiving complete information about conception, pregnancy and birth after or during treatment, decide to terminate their pregnancy.

The effect of chemotherapy on reproductive capabilities

The cytotoxic (destructive) effect of chemotherapy and surgery can cause reproductive health problems, reducing the chances of conception and carrying an embryo.

The chemotherapy performed affects the following female organs:

Ovaries. Temporary or permanent loss of ovarian function is expressed in a decrease in the number of follicles (eggs surrounded by several layers of epithelium) that mature during menstruation and become ready for fertilization. The destruction of maturing follicles leads to amenorrhea (absence of the menstrual cycle for several months or more). The severity depends on the chemotherapy drugs used. Alkylating drugs are especially dangerous;
Uterus. There are no reliable sources about the detrimental effect on favorable conditions for fertilization and bearing a child, but still, there are suggestions of partial damage in the form of impaired blood flow in the uterus and its growth dynamics. You can get pregnant, but there is a risk of miscarriage, the onset of labor at 22–37 weeks, placenta accreta, and low birth weight of the baby.

The ability to become pregnant, depending on the severity of the reproductive dysfunction, can be preserved thanks to certain methods:

cryopreservation – freezing of fertilized eggs, embryos, ovarian tissue, sperm.

How long do side effects last after chemotherapy?

Pregnancy during chemotherapy

Pregnancy after chemotherapy is possible, but the question is: how long does the body need to restore reproductive abilities?

The process of restoring all cells damaged during the use of one of the cancer treatment methods with chemotherapy drugs begins almost immediately after its completion. Side effects disappear after the complete restoration of cell functions, but the duration of this process is determined individually.

It depends on the following factors:

antitumor drugs taken;
general health before drug treatment for cancer.

If the reproductive and respiratory organs, heart, and kidneys are damaged after chemotherapy, side effects can last up to several years, and side effects may not appear immediately.

Every cancer patient who dreams of having children must be convinced of the effectiveness of treatment, since modern medicine has made such progress that the effectiveness of chemotherapy on cancer-damaged cells has increased, and the risk of negative effects on healthy cells has decreased.

Opportunities for cancer patients to have children

Typically, cancer center specialists do not recommend that women with cancer become pregnant after chemotherapy for some time, advising them to use contraceptives until reproductive function is fully restored. But there are still opportunities to have children, and there are three of them:

postponing chemotherapy;
use of modern ICSI technologies for egg maturation in vitro;
removal of the ovaries and their preservation during the woman’s treatment.

Breast cancer during pregnancy

The third stage of breast cancer requires treatment with additional methods - chemotherapy or radiation therapy, hormone therapy, so doctors recommend postponing pregnancy for 5 years. Such a long pause is explained by a possible relapse of the cancer tumor and major complications during pregnancy. If the size of the tumor was small and the spread of metastases was initial, then the woman may be allowed to have children earlier than after 5 years.

Breast cancer and pregnancy can exist together, and treatment of the tumor has two options:

Carrying out chemotherapy. A course of antitumor drugs is contraindicated in the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Allowed in the 3rd trimester only with the agreement of the patient and her relatives, since complications of one degree or another are inevitable;
Artificial termination of pregnancy or early delivery, and then treatment.

Male childbearing after chemotherapy

A man who has undergone a course of chemotherapy suffers from loss of fertility no less than a woman, since treatment can result not only in short-term infertility, but also in complete infertility.

During chemotherapy, sperm quality is greatly deteriorated due to the destruction of spermatogonia, which are responsible for the functionality and development of sperm.

A man about to undergo chemotherapy is offered an alternative solution to the problem - storing (freezing) sperm or spermatogonia. The latter option is more acceptable to young people who have not reached puberty, but this method has not yet been fully explored. There is a possible risk of spermatogonia mutation or relapse of cancer cells after re-implantation into the body.

If you want not to lose the function of childbearing, both men and women are advised to notify the attending physician who prescribes chemotherapy. Before anticancer drugs have a negative effect on the entire body, and specifically on the reproductive system, it will be possible to preserve healthy eggs and sperm for IVF (in vitro fertilization) or surrogacy.

To rid the fetus of the negative effects of chemotherapy, condoms should be used and the end date for their use is prescribed only by the attending physician.

Favorable treatment prognosis*

* with timely detection of the disease

Negative consequences of oncology treatment

Sperm suppression.

Damage to the genetic apparatus.

The high toxicity of radiation and chemotherapy leads* to:

How to avoid infertility after cancer treatment

Freezing sperm is a reliable way to preserve male fertility and has several advantages:

Is it possible to get pregnant during chemotherapy?

Pregnancy after chemotherapy

Chemotherapy in men

Side effects after chemotherapy

How to restore reproductive function after chemotherapy?

The risk of cancer in a child

Pregnancy with cervical cancer

Symptoms of cervical cancer

Diagnosis of cancer

Cervical cancer treatment

Getting pregnant after cancer treatment?

Radiation therapy and pregnancy

Reproductive capabilities of men after radiation therapy

Getting pregnant after radiation therapy

Pregnancy after cancer - chances, risks, prognosis

Pregnancy after cancer: how to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy child?

Auxiliary reproduction:

Donor eggs:

Surrogate and gestational carriers:

Adopting a child:

Pregnancy after oncology – questions for the doctor

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Categories:

Is it possible to get pregnant during chemotherapy?

Pregnancy after chemotherapy

Chemotherapy in men

Side effects after chemotherapy

How to restore reproductive function after chemotherapy?

The risk of cancer in a child

Pregnancy after husband's radiation therapy

Mom won't miss

Pregnancy after chemotherapy

The effect of chemotherapy on reproductive capabilities

The chemotherapy performed affects the following female organs:

How long do side effects last after chemotherapy?

Opportunities for cancer patients to have children

Breast cancer during pregnancy

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