After a cancer treatment

Life after a cancer

“Breast cancer leaves very different marks. First, there are the women – fortunately a very small minority – who live “within” the cancer with all its negative aspects.

Then there is the group, the majority, of women who resume their lives as before, with the same way of functioning, the same framework, even the same exasperations.

And then there are those, more and more numerous, who change their vision of life, not necessarily their daily life, but their way of seeing the world, more precisely their world. For them, cancer has been a “plus”. But many patients say, “Doctor, this cancer was a chance because it allowed me to take the measure of important things.” These women no longer bother with the details, have learned to distinguish between the essential and the superfluous. Cancer is like a mixer: you’re going to be able to turn up or down the sliders of importance in all areas of your life, your private life, your professional life, your life as a mom, your love life, your friendship life, your social life…”

Having a child

After the end of treatment, you may want to have a baby. Chemotherapy can sometimes affect your eggs and ovarian follicles, as well as your sex hormones. Your menstrual cycle may be altered or even absent, and chemotherapy may cause early menopause (cycles stop before age 40).
Hormone therapy with tamoxifen may change your period or even stop it. This is often temporary: your period may return when treatment ends.
Breast cancer treatments can have a teratogenic effect with a risk of fetal malformation, so it is imperative to use contraception during treatment and to wait until the end of treatment before starting a pregnancy. Depending on the type of cancer you have, a longer or shorter waiting period between the end of treatment and the beginning of a pregnancy is recommended.

There are several methods for preserving fertility:
embryo preservation (follicular puncture to recover your oocytes, which are then fertilized in vitro by your spouse’s sperm), oocyte preservation (without prior fertilization), ovarian tissue preservation (removal of ovarian fragments). These techniques must be performed before the start of chemotherapy and are systematically proposed by your oncologist.

Sometimes pregnancy is impossible and there are other solutions to have a child: embryo donation, egg donation, surrogate motherhood, adoption…

The process of having a child can be long and difficult, so don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor who will advise you on the best specialists.