IVF Clinic
05.10.2026
October is the month when the pink ribbon becomes a symbol of an issue we should be talking about all year round. We are talking about the fight against breast cancer and cancer more broadly. During Pink October, we are reminded of the importance of prevention, the value of early detection and the progress that has been made in cancer treatment in recent years. Much less attention, however, is given to what comes after treatment and to the question of what life will actually look like after overcoming the disease. While some women may be thinking about returning to work or reconnecting with relationships that became quieter during treatment, many others are faced with a completely different and deeply important question: How will cancer treatment affect their fertility?
“There’s something unusual,” the doctor says, carefully examining the mammogram. Most of us can hardly imagine what might be going through a patient’s mind at such a moment. What we can imagine, however, is that at such a turning point, most plans for the future are involuntarily put on hold. Instead of social events or trips abroad, the calendar begins to fill with appointments for examinations, chemotherapy and surgery. And a future that, only a few minutes before the diagnosis, seemed to stretch far ahead suddenly shrinks to the coming weeks and months with the doctor’s words.
Yet even at such a moment, questions about the future do not necessarily disappear completely. For women who hope to have children one day, one of these questions may be how cancer treatment will affect their fertility.
Cancer can therefore represent a “double threat” – not only to a woman’s health, but in some cases also to her future ability to have children.
When Treatment Can Affect the Ability to Have Children
Although the main focus of Pink October is the fight against breast cancer, fertility preservation is also an issue for women facing other types of cancer. It may seem that the cancer itself is the main cause of fertility loss. In many cases, however, it is the treatment that can have a significant impact on fertility.
Certain types of radiotherapy and chemotherapy can significantly damage ovarian follicles and reduce ovarian function (ASCO, 2025). The extent of this damage varies from woman to woman and depends on a number of factors, including:
- age,
- the specific type of treatment,
- its dose and duration,
- and, importantly, ovarian reserve.
The same treatment therefore does not necessarily have the same impact on every patient.
The return of menstruation does not necessarily mean the return of fertility
Although treatment does not necessarily lead to permanent infertility, many women may experience menstrual cycle disturbances, premature menopause or a reduction in ovarian reserve after treatment (Klemp et al., 2012), which can be associated with temporary or permanent fertility problems.
Even the successful return of menstruation after treatment does not necessarily mean that fertility has returned to its previous level. Treatment-related damage can therefore reduce fertility while also accelerating the natural age-related decline in ovarian reserve.
For this reason, fertility preservation is now considered part of broader cancer care. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (2025) recommends discussing fertility at the time of diagnosis and providing patients with information about timely fertility preservation options. Current recommendations also emphasize the importance of prompt consultation with a reproductive medicine specialist.
Medical Freezing: A Double Hope
You may already have heard of Social Freezing, or elective egg freezing. Women may choose this option for a variety of reasons – such as focusing on their career, continuing their studies or simply not having yet met the right partner with whom they would like to have a child. The reasons for Medical Freezing are quite different.
In this case, women choose to preserve their eggs because their medical condition or planned treatment may threaten their future fertility. Unlike elective fertility preservation, which women can usually plan further in advance, a cancer diagnosis may leave considerably less time to make a decision. Treatment sometimes needs to begin without significant delay, and every additional examination or procedure has to be carefully scheduled.
Thinking About the Future During Treatment
The possibility of freezing eggs before treatment can therefore offer a small sense of hope during a period that is already filled with uncertainty. It is not only about preserving the possibility of having a biological child in the future, but also about feeling that, alongside difficult treatment, it is still possible to think about the life that comes after it. This “double hope” can be an important source of strength for some women during a challenging period of treatment (Inhorn, Birenbaum-Carmeli & Patrizio, 2017).
If a woman wishes to preserve the possibility of becoming pregnant in the future, it is therefore important to raise the subject with her oncologist as soon as possible. The oncologist may recommend a consultation with a reproductive medicine specialist, who can assess together with the patient whether one of the available fertility preservation methods is possible and appropriate before treatment begins (ibid.). Current recommendations recognize that the specific approach will always depend on the woman’s health, the type of treatment and, above all, the amount of time available before treatment starts.
A cancer diagnosis may therefore bring not only the question of how to get through treatment. For a woman who hopes to have children one day, it can be equally important to think about what comes afterwards.
The possibility of preserving fertility can, at such a moment, provide a small but important source of hope for the future.
Fertility Preservation Is Not a Guarantee or a Prediction of the Future
Choosing fertility preservation does not, of course, mean that a woman will necessarily want to have children. Nor is egg freezing a guarantee of future pregnancy or the birth of a healthy baby. Its purpose is different.
If there is a real risk that treatment could damage fertility, it may be useful to discuss the available options before treatment begins. Losing the possibility of having children during an already difficult experience with cancer can be a profound loss for many women and may have a long-term emotional impact (Benedict et al., 2015). That is why it is important to have information about fertility preservation options in good time. Some choices may no longer be available once treatment has been completed.
Medical Freezing is therefore not a promise that everything will eventually go according to plan. Rather, it is a way of preserving another possibility in a difficult situation, if the woman’s health and circumstances allow it.
So, What Should You Do First?
If you are about to undergo treatment that may affect your fertility, you do not need to have all the answers immediately. The first step can be a simple but important conversation with your oncologist.
Ask whether the planned treatment could affect your fertility and whether it would make sense to speak with a reproductive medicine specialist. They can discuss the available options with you based on your diagnosis, age, ovarian reserve and planned treatment, and together you can assess whether any of these options could be used before treatment begins.
The sooner you raise the subject, the more time you may have to consider the different possibilities and find an approach that is right for your individual situation. Because even if getting through treatment is your main priority right now, it is worth thinking about what comes next – and about the life that is waiting for you.
