Some women may be pregnant when they are disagnosed with breast cancer, or they may be planning to have children in the future. Below are some points to consider if you are in this situation:
- Some treatments are not recommended if you are pregnant when diagnosed with early breast cancer.
- If you’re already pregnant at the time of your diagnosis, you can have breast surgery with only a slight risk of miscarriage. The risk of miscarriage is lower after the first trimester, so some women wait until the second trimester to have surgery. Discuss the timing of your breast surgery with your doctor.
- Some treatments for breast cancer may cause your menstrual period to stop or become irregular. These treatments include anti-estrogen drugs,such as tamoxifen, and some chemotherapy drugs.
- Falling pregnant while you’re having treatment is not recommended. The foetus can be harmed by treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is recommended that you use contraception if it’s possible that you could become pregnant during treatment.
- Treatments for early breast cancer may affect your ability to become pregnant. Some treatments have this effect during the treatment period only, while others have a permanent effect. The closer you are to the age of natural menopause, the more likely it is that the menopause (including infertility) will be permanent.
- There is no evidence to suggest that pregnancy after treatment for breast cancer is unsafe for you or for any children you may have in the future. There is no evidence that pregnancy after treatment for breast cancer will make the breast cancer more likely to come back.
