Forum Discussion
Conceiving & Hormone Blockers
Hi all,
I am looking for information on having children after breast cancer. I am meeting with my oncologist to discuss this further but want to understand a little more on what may be involved in trying to conceive during hormone blocking therapy.
During chemotherapy, I have been on zoladex shots and once radiation finishes I will add an aromatase inhibitor. This is with a view of continuing the hormone blockers for 10 years.
Thanks for your thoughts!
3 Replies
Hi Nicole,
I had an early stage of breast cancer in 2019 and am now a mum to a 14mth old and pregnant with my second. I didn't go through chemotherapy so your experience in conceiving is likely to be different to mine. However, I was taking Tamoxifen and on Zoladex for 2-3 years prior to my pregnancy. I would have started trying for a baby earlier but my Oncologist encouraged me to complete 3 years of hormone therapy first. Basically I had to come off everything and wait until my periods returned to normal before I could get pregnant. During pregnancy I had a breast ultrasound instead of MRI. After pregnancy I chose not to breastfeed and went back on Tamoxifen for a while, but in the end I did not complete the 5 years of treatment as per my cancer treatment plan.
I hope this helps. Best of luck with it all!
Thank you so much for your reply, CRM! This is so helpful to hear your lived experience!
NicoleUTM Thank you for starting the conversation.
While we wait for others to share their own lived experience, we thought you may find the following resources useful:
- Fertility and breast cancer - knowing your options: Discussion about treatment and the decisions you can make.
- Fertility and breast cancer treatment. This article discusses options to preserve fertility, what you may need to consider, and help to make a decision
- Watch Breast Cancer Trials Q&A – BREAST CANCER AND FERTILITY, where a panel of experts discussed the latest in fertility preservation options for breast cancer patients, informed decision making, and fertility decision aids.
Please feel free to contact BCNA's Helpline 1800 500 258 if we can assist further.
