Breast Cancer Awareness and Fertility Preservation: The Toth’s Journey

Every Month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Michigan Reproductive Medicine

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women around the world. Did you know that every 2 minutes in the Unites States a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer? (komen.org)

Cancer treatments are often put on the fast track to make an impact on disease progression as soon as possible. It can be a whirlwind of medical appointments, testing, multiple different doctors coordinating treatment plans, and procedures; starting from the moment a person is diagnosed.

This time is overwhelming to say the least. One question needing to be asked of someone who is diagnosed with cancer is, “Have you thought about your plans for having children?”

Cancer treatments (such as certain forms of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical intervention) can impact a woman’s fertility. Treatments can impact egg quality and quantity and the ability of the reproductive organs themselves to function normally.

Once a cancer diagnosis is made, the fight for life begins. Questions you need to ask your oncologist are, “What about fertility preservation?” “Is there time to go through with an egg banking cycle or IVF with an embryo banking cycle prior to needed cancer treatments?”

Here at Michigan Reproductive Medicine, we are prepared to help coordinate your care with your oncologist on a quick timeline. As soon as we receive the call, we coordinate a consultation with you and your family to come in and meet with one of our physicians to discuss treatment options.

Our cycle fees are discounted significantly for patients going through an oncofertility preservation cycle and our nursing staff will work with you to get many of your cycle medications for free through programs available through organizations such as Livestrong ©.

 

Embryo banking and PGD for BRCA1 screen/Oncofertility

Prevent passing the BRCA1 breast cancer genes to your children.

This is Silviya’s and Scott’s story about beating breast cancer, preserving fertility (Oncofertility) and preventing a cancer gene from being passed on to the next generation (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) and deferring pregnancy until she is cancer free for 3 years through embryo banking, then having children as quickly as possible before she has surgical removal of her ovaries to reduce her future risk of ovarian cancer caused by the cancer gene. 

 Silviya was diagnosed with breast cancer and her doctors discovered she carried one of the two breast cancer-causing genes: BRCA1. This cancer gene not only increases the risk of breast cancer, but it also increases the risk of ovarian cancer. This cancer gene can be passed on to her children, which increases their risk of breast and ovary cancer. This gene can be detected in an embryo. There is a 50% change any one embryo carries this cancer gene.

Their strategy: (They are at Step 3 right now)

1. Treat the cancer. Chemotherapy may harm her eggs reducing her chance of having children.
2. Be cancer-free for 3 years before trying to get pregnant. (She is 2 years out from her cancer therapy with no evidence of return of cancer- yay!)
3. During this 3 year delay to have children, she can undergo several egg harvest cycles with IVF, have the embryos genetically tested to determine if the BRCA1 gene is present and have the normal number of chromosomes. Store (bank) all embryos that do not have the BRCA1 gene mutation and have the normal number of chromosomes
4. Three years cancer free: Get pregnant: thaw 1 or 2 embryos at a time to transfer into her uterus assisting couple to have their children and complete their family building.
5. She will undergo surgery to remove her uterus, both of her ovaries and fallopian tubes. This is her best effort to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer that could develop as a carrier of the BRCA1 cancer gene.

Please visit our oncofertility webpage and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about fertility preservation with a cancer diagnosis, we are here to help in any way we can.

 

If breast cancer has touched you or those you love, we at Michigan Reproductive Medicine encourage you to please reach out to The Pink Fund.

The Pink Fund provides cost-of-living expenses to breast cancer patients so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to work.