Questions to Ask About Having Children

• Is it possible that my cancer therapy will impair my ability to conceive or have children?
• I'm not sure how long I should wait before trying to get pregnant or father a child.
• How will try to have a child affect my follow-up care plan? 
• Where can I get help dealing with fertility problems?
• Whom should I contact if I need help talking with my spouse or partner about fertility issues?  

For survivors, deciding whether and whether to have a child is a difficult decision. Before beginning or adding to their families, survivors and their spouses/partners must consider a number of emotional and physical factors. In general, becoming pregnant after cancer treatment is considered safe for both the mother and the baby, and pregnancy does not appear to increase a woman’s risk of recurrence. Cancer treatments may also cause damage to particular parts of the body, such as the heart or lungs. These organs may need to be tested before becoming pregnant to ensure that the pregnancy will be safe. Doctors, on the other hand, may advise waiting before attempting to conceive, with the precise amount of time-varying depending on a variety of factors.

Dealing With Infertility

Cancer treatment has made it difficult or impossible for some couples to have children, causing them great sadness and anger. It's important to seek help as you deal with these changes and losses by:

• Assisted reproduction.
• Donor eggs.
• Donor embryos.
• Surrogacy and gestational carriers.
• Adoption

References -

Retrieved from - https://www.cancer.net/sites/cancer.net/files/cancer_survivorship.pdf