Fertility treatment options
A breast cancer diagnosis can force you to think about the future sooner than you expect. Our Oncofertility Tool helps you learn about options to preserve fertility. Use it as a starting point to talk with your healthcare provider about what is important to you for your future, and to learn more about which options are available to you.
If you are newly diagnosed and want to protect your fertility, speak to your doctor as soon as you can. If you have trouble finding fertility preservation during this time, reach out to the Oncofertility Consortium for assistance.
Breast cancer treatments can cause medical menopause, meaning the egg supply in your ovaries becomes low. Medical menopause may be temporary or permanent. Chemotherapy may also speed up natural menopause. Because of the potential impact of cancer treatments on fertility, it is important to learn about steps you could take to protect your fertility before beginning cancer treatment.
Our Oncofertility Tool addresses some common concerns, but your options may be impacted by your age, diagnosis, and treatment plan. Print out this chart, or write down a list of questions to share with your doctor or fertility specialist. This can help make your priorities clear to your provider and help them to better address your personal concerns and situation.
| Treatment Delay | Cost | Impact on HR+ Cancer | Impact of Age | Partner/Donor Needed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key |
|
|
| |||
| Pre-Treatment Options | ||||||
| No fertility treatment | No | Yes | | |||
| Ovarian suppression to preserve fertility |  | No | Yes | | ||
| Ovarian tissue freezing |    | No | Yes | | ||
| Embryo (fertilized egg) freezing |   |    | No | Yes | | |
| Oocyte (unfertilized egg) freezing |   |    | No | Yes | | |
| Post-Treatment Options | ||||||
| Surrogacy with egg donation |         | No | No | | ||
| Adoption |     | No | No | | ||
=
=
=
=
=
Key:
= No Delay
= 2 Weeks
= $5,000
= Partner Needed
= No Partner Needed
No fertility treatment
| Pre-Treatment Option | |
|---|---|
| Treatment Delay | |
| Cost | -- |
| Impact on HR+ Cancer | No |
| Impact of Age | Yes |
| Partner/Donor Needed | |
Ovarian suppression to preserve fertility
| Pre-Treatment Option | |
|---|---|
| Treatment Delay | |
| Cost |  |
| Impact on HR+ Cancer | No |
| Impact of Age | Yes |
| Partner/Donor Needed | |
Ovarian tissue freezing
| Pre-Treatment Option | |
|---|---|
| Treatment Delay | |
| Cost |    |
| Impact on HR+ Cancer | No |
| Impact of Age | Yes |
| Partner/Donor Needed | |
Embryo (fertilized egg) freezing
| Pre-Treatment Option | |
|---|---|
| Treatment Delay |   |
| Cost |    |
| Impact on HR+ Cancer | No |
| Impact of Age | Yes |
| Partner/Donor Needed | |
Oocyte (unfertilized egg) freezing
| Pre-Treatment Option | |
|---|---|
| Treatment Delay |   |
| Cost |    |
| Impact on HR+ Cancer | No |
| Impact of Age | Yes |
| Partner/Donor Needed | |
Surrogacy with egg donation
| Post-Treatment Option | |
|---|---|
| Treatment Delay | |
| Cost |         |
| Impact on HR+ Cancer | No |
| Impact of Age | No |
| Partner/Donor Needed | |
Adoption
| Post-Treatment Option | |
|---|---|
| Treatment Delay | |
| Cost |     |
| Impact on HR+ Cancer | No |
| Impact of Age | No |
| Partner/Donor Needed | |
If you are interested in learning more about fertility preservation, please speak with your healthcare provider as soon as possible and ask for a referral to a fertility specialist. A specialist will help answer your questions, talk about the pros and cons of each method, and help you consider other factors.
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Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to create a world that understands there is more than one way to have breast cancer. To fulfill its mission of providing trusted information and a community of support to those impacted by the disease, Living Beyond Breast Cancer offers on-demand emotional, practical, and evidence-based content. For over 30 years, the organization has remained committed to creating a culture of acceptance — where sharing the diversity of the lived experience of breast cancer fosters self-advocacy and hope. For more information, learn more about our programs and services.