Can I get pregnant one year after chemotherapy for breast cancer

Several methods are available for preserving fertility: the most effective and proven method is embryo cryopreservation, but this method requires delaying adjuvant therapy for up to 6 weeks to allow the patient to undergo ovarian stimulation. Referral to a fertility specialist before breast cancer surgery appears to increase the likelihood of obtaining an adequate number of oocytes without delaying adjuvant breast cancer treatment.

In the past, it was believed that pregnancy was not conducive to breast cancer recovery in breast cancer patients. This was mainly based on the view that during pregnancy, the human body is exposed to high levels of ovarian estrogen and progesterone stimulation, which can easily cause tumor recurrence and metastasis, thereby affecting the patient's survival. Breast cancer patients were often advised not to become pregnant and to take contraceptive measures.

However, evidence-based medicine now shows that pregnancy after breast cancer does not increase the risk of recurrence, and may even have a protective effect (also known as the "mother effect"). In medical terms, giving birth after treatment does not affect the long-term survival of breast cancer patients, and can even reduce the relative risk of death in patients.

Although more evidence has recently shown that pregnancy after breast cancer does not increase the risk of recurrence, studies have found that not many women actually become pregnant and give birth after breast cancer. The reasons may be: infertility caused by treatment, fear of recurrence, lack of counseling guidance, and the patient's own choice not to have children. Therefore, it is very necessary to provide reasonable medical counseling and psychological intervention for breast cancer patients who have fertility needs.