Having a Baby after BC?

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SharonInMO
SharonInMO Member Posts: 26
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer

Hi all,

Can any of you share experiences trying to get pregnant after chemo? 

I got diagnosed with Stage II/IIIa breast cancer in April 2007, at the age of 42.   I finished a lumpectomy, sixteen rounds of chemo (AC and Taxol), and 6 weeks of rads.  A few days later, I moved here to Istanbul, Turkey to get married for the first time ever.

We are now ages 44 and 29, and we are looking into fertility treatments so we can have a baby.  I was taking Tamoxifen until a couple of days ago.  I am assuming I'm menopausal.  I had two periods after starting AC chemo, but they then stopped and I've never had a sign of a period since August 2007.  However, I haven't had a single hot flash, weight gain, or anything like that.  We went to a fertility clinic here, but they've never heard of a person having a baby after chemo.  They know not to use estrogen, but are at a loss of how to do fertility treatments without it.  They just said to stop the Tamoxifen for 2 months (with blessing of my onc here), then come in for tests so they can see if I'm menopausal "for real" or not.  I don't know why that matters, as obviously menopausal women in their late 60's are in the news having babies.  So there must be a way to reverse it, right?

I don't know which is the biggest problem:  my age or the chemo.  They're acting like the biggest problem is my age, saying 40-somethings have only a 10% success rate.  But I assume most of their other 40-something patients have been trying to have kids for 20 years.  I've never tried to have a kid, and always practiced strict birth control (pills and condoms together).  As far as I know, I was fertile prior to chemo.  My little sister just had her first babies at age 38 and 39.  Anyway, I'd appreciate hearing any info from people who had fertility treatments after chemo, and what their experiences were.  I'm pretty much on my own doing the research, as the doctors here don't speak English and have a limited number of Turkish-language resources to consult.  The docs are willing to go with whatever method I suggest based on my research.

Thanks in advance for any info,

Sharon in Istanbul

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  • magsandmattsmom
    magsandmattsmom Member Posts: 424
    edited March 2009

    I had a baby after chemo.  He is now 21 months old.  BUT I didn't go through any fertility treatments to have him.  He just happened.  I also was not on Tamoxifen because my BC was ER/-.  I know I'm not being much help but I just wanted to share that women DO have babies after chemo!  My periods stopped during chemo but then came back within a few months.  I was 33 when I had chemo and 36 when I got pg.  At the Young Survivors Coalition they have more info because it's focused on young women who have faced BC. 

     GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

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  • Member_of_the_Club
    Member_of_the_Club Member Posts: 3,646
    edited March 2009

    I would be awfully nervous about fertility treatments, especially since your tumor was hormone positive.  if you post something on the young survivors thread you might get more information -- many of those women are dealing with fertility issues.

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  • BethNY
    BethNY Member Posts: 2,710
    edited March 2009

    You should look to www.fertilehope.org for more answers.  Most young women who are ER+, and afraid that they will be pushed into a permanent state of menopause from chemo, but still want babies....

    the general course of action is surgery to remove the tumor, then IVF treatment for one cycle to get about 6-7 eggs, then chemo, then tamoxifen, and usually they recommend staying on the Tamox for at least three years, and then stopping, implanting the embryo, having the baby, then finishing the Tamoxifen.

    You need an FSH test to determine if you are in fact fertile, and have egg reserves that would respond to IVF treatment. There are risks involved, and your age is just one of them... The bigger risk would be jump starting cancer again, by doing the IVF treatments post BC treatment. You should have an ONC and GYN closely monitoring the situation.

    Please keep us posted!

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  • greenfrog
    greenfrog Member Posts: 269
    edited March 2009

    I had many years of IVF before having my son at the age of 42.  A year after he was born I was dx with BC. My whole medical team are in no doubt that the many IVF treatments plus the pregnancy triggered the cancer. Please think very carefully before starting down this path. You may have a child, but you may not live to see him/her grow up.

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