Chemo or radiotherapy can damage the ovaries or uterus. However, treatment does not have to lead to infertility. Unfortunately, information on this subject is still too limited. Saskia was not yet thirty and had a wish to have children when she heard that she had cancer.
Saskia was not yet thirty and had a great desire to have children, but no partner. That is why she went to the gynecologist with the request to have an egg fertilized and become a single mother.
'From the age of eighteen I already had a big want to have children she says. "When I saw my thirtieth birthday approaching, I thought:at 45 I can still find a man, but then I can't get pregnant anymore. That's why I went to the gynecologist. When he performed some routine tests, my Pap smear was found to contain malignant cells and after a biopsy in the hospital it turned out to be cervical cancer. That was a shock:I was only 27 and in one week I had gone from a healthy girl to a cancer patient.'
“The attending physician told me that in my case she usually removes the uterus but because I was still so young and had a great desire to have children, a different technique could also be applied. This consisted of first receiving chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, after which the affected part of the cervix was removed. This way the uterus was spared and I could still get pregnant later on. It was also only possible on the condition that the cancer had not spread and I did not need radiation, which fortunately was the case.'
‘So my fertility was a topic of conversation from the start, but that is of course because I went to the gynaecologist with that question. The doctors knew how important that was to me. It was my biggest concern, much more than the cancer itself. I never thought about dying at that time. Now I go for checkups every three months and take the pill to keep my hormones stable. I have to wait up to two years after my treatment to pregnant to be allowed to become. I still want that, now even more than ever.”
Quality of life
More and more attention is being paid to the quality of life of (former) cancer patients. For many women, having children plays a role in this, but that subject is often not discussed enough.
Features
By freezing eggs, ovarian tissue or embryos or moving the ovary outside the irradiation area, many women are able to children after treatment. get.
Few referrals
Less than 10 percent of female patients is referred to a specialist to discuss the options. While it is very likely that it is important for more women to be informed.
Where are so few referred?
Why specialists refer so little remains speculation. The sensitivity of the subject probably plays a role. In addition, not all oncologists what exactly is possible.
Lobke Bastings obtained her PhD a few years ago for her research on this subject.
