Breast cancer is not infrequently diagnosed in women of reproductive age. Fortunately, the survival rates after breast cancer are so good nowadays that the realization of the desire to have children after treatment has gained immensely in importance. This topic should be addressed prior to therapy, since the chemotherapeutic agents used can impair fertility. A distinction is made between hormone-dependent and hormone-independent tumors. In the case of hormone-dependent tumors, anti-hormonal follow-up treatment is given for several years after chemotherapy, so that natural fertility also decreases over time as a result. In the case of a hormone-independent tumor on the other hand, the risk of a hereditary component increases, which is associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Pregnancy after surviving breast cancer on the other hand has no negative impact on the course of the disease, as far as we know.
One possibility to facilitate the patient’s decision after the counselling interview regarding fertility-preserving measures is the “Decision Aid” linked here.
It is a digital aid for decision-making developed by psychologists, psychotherapists and reproductive physicians.
