It is important to discuss future motherhood with your oncologist because there are several steps that may be taken to attempt to protect fertility during treatment. First, certain chemotherapy regimens carry a greater risk to fertility than others. You should discuss alternative chemotherapy choices if protecting fertility is a priority. Doctors can choose between an array of chemotherapy drugs based on knowledge of efficacy and toxicity as well as available data.
Secondly, there is some ongoing research regarding ovarian suppression during treatment to protect immature eggs, though those trials are still quite small at this time. Researchers believe that shutting down the ovaries will make them less sensitive to the chemotherapy, thereby protecting the immature eggs for future development. Shutting down the ovaries is a rather simple procedure requiring monthly injections of a drug such as Lupron (typically used to decrease the body’s production of specific hormones) that will temporarily force the ovaries into a menopausal state.
Once chemotherapy is over, those concerned with fertility enter a waiting game. Generally, if the cycle is going to return, it will most likely return within six to twelve months. However, adjuvant therapy, such as Tamoxifen, can cause some irregularities as well. A quick blood test can measure hormone levels for a definitive answer.
While it does not seem likely that conceiving naturally is in my future, I learned a valuable lesson from my very first puppy, Romeo, who I rescued from a local shelter. Motherhood is more about love than anything else. Each of us can choose to share our love, but for some of us it may be expressed differently than once imagined. Romeo taught me that I could love any baby as if it were my own, even if it’s a puppy.
Watch videos, view comic strip and read stories from other young women who have faced breast cancer.
