Research on link between IVF and BC?

NicolaSue

Hi All,

Sadly I'm an IVF veteran. I have had upwards of 15 cycles of IVF. It's had a good outcome and we are now very happy with our most recent child born in 2014 via IVF. However most of my IVF has been with frozen embryos. When you use fresh embryos you do not take hormone support for as long. In frozen cycles you own body is turned off for a long time and you take hormones for several weeks before the embryo transfer and then until around week 12 of pregnancy (longer in my case).

There is plenty of research on hormones taken as part of HRT but I am not aware of anything recent on IVF drugs. Does anyone know about any research on the risks of multiple cycles of IVF?

Thanks in advance!

wallycat

I have not read anything about IVF and breast cancer; ovarian cancer, possibly. I have read some studies saying there is a link only to have another study say possibly no link. Best to you.

NicolaSue

Thanks Wallycat. I was told by one doctor that the data will appear in time - he's an oncologist and believes that , without doubt, too much IVF does correlate to increase BC. Pity no one told me when I was having all my cycles. But - I have a lovely big family so I have that to thank IVF for!

wallycat

I hope it doesn't come to pass for you or that treatment/cures are there should you need them. I know all of us here are hoping for that...and docs only know what they currently know and they can also be wrong :-)

Amelia01

I did various IVFs and AIs so maybe that had something to do with it. I wouldn't be surprised.

Peregrinelady

My twin sister did 3 rounds of IVF (they offered her 3 for the price of 2) and while I do not believe this caused her cancer, I do wonder if the fact that she was stage 3C at diagnosis was because the hormone shots fed her 100% ER positive cancer. I researched it at the time and found links to uterine cancer, but nothing about breast. I cautioned her about the hormones, but she trusted the IVF doctors. Now, I believe they have patients get a mammogram between cycles. If only they had done that for her.

NicolaSue

gosh yes that would have been wise - to be offered mammos between IVF cycles. I never was. I am now, obviously, not going anywhere near IVF again but I do worry that the damage may be done and although I'm not now having the external oestrogen support that you have in IVF it may already have done its damage.

Heidihill

I had several rounds of IVF and have 100% ER+ BC. I think mammos would have been a good idea, too, if only to see how breast density, one of the strongest risk factors, had been affected. I had super dense breasts at diagnosis. As far as damage already done, since breast density can change, as mine have, like night and day, this might be a good therapeutic target. Also if one has dense breasts, MRIs or ultrasounds might be appropriate as additional screening tools.

coraleliz

I'm an IVF veteran. Even if BC was a risk factor, I would have done it anyway. I started getting mammos at 30yr. So, I scheduled mine around my natural or IVF cycles(whatever was going on at the time).

Another thought, maybe my need for IVF, even though it wasn't entirely clear, put me at risk & not the IVF treatment.

They talk about a BC "vaccine". If it were like other vaccines, I would skip it. No family history, average risk....