As part of treating ovarian cancer, many women lose one or both ovaries. In either case, women who’ve been treated for ovarian cancer may be infertile. While many women who develop ovarian cancer are past the age when they can have children, not everyone is. Cobie Smulders is a celebrity example of a person who had ovarian cancer, but went on to have children.
Because every case is different, women with ovarian cancer may want to know their options. Fortunately, there could be many different venues for women with ovarian cancer to maintain fertility. Here is some information on how ovarian cancer can affect fertility in women from the University of Rochester Medical Center:
“Fertility refers to your ability to produce children. Some women who are treated for ovarian cancer still maintain their fertility, while others don’t.
You may still be able to become pregnant if you have only one ovary removed to treat the cancer. Keeping your fertility options while maintaining the healing potential of the treatment required for ovarian cancer can often be a complicated management decision. It is very important that your particular findings be put into context by an expert. Gynecologic oncologists are subspecialists with advanced training in the diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of female cancers including ovarian cancer.
You may be infertile, meaning you cannot become pregnant without medical intervention, if you had any of these treatments for ovarian cancer:
Surgery to remove both of your ovaries.
Chemotherapy. Many chemotherapy drugs can cause the menstrual cycle to stop and disrupt the function of your ovaries.
Radiation directed at your pelvic area. Radiation can affect your ovaries’ ability to produce a mature egg.
If you had any of these treatments and you want to have children, see a reproductive endocrinologist. This is a doctor who specializes in infertility treatment. A multidisciplinary team approach, which includes a gynecologic oncologist and a reproductive endocrinologist, may be required.”
Learn more about treatment options by reading the entire article here: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=34&ContentID=19758-1
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