By Elisa Pérez (Gynaecologist – Reg. No. 203311163).
When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she will probably not think about her future fertility, as the fear of this disease and how it will evolve will occupy all her thoughts.
However, it is very important to be clear about whether we would like to have the option of becoming mothers once the treatment is over, as the effects of chemotherapy can be devastating for our reproductive capacity. Oocyte cryopreservation plays a key role here and can help women overcoming cancer to achieve pregnancy.
According to the Observatorio del Cáncer of the la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer, 34740 people were diagnosed with breast cancer in Spain in 2022, mainly women. In fact, it is the most common cancer among Spanish women and the most common cancer worldwide, and it is estimated that up to 1 in 8 women will suffer from it in their lifetime.
The survival rate, however, is over 85% within 5 years of overcoming it, although it can have negative effects on women's fertility. Chemotherapy or pelvic radiotherapy treatments can damage the ovaries and reduce the number of oocytes, so it is advisable to consult a specialist about the possibility of freezing oocytes before starting treatment.
X-ray of a woman with breast cancer
It depends on many factors, but pregnancy is possible. The first step is to undergo a medical evaluation in which a specialist can check your health and your ovarian function after treatment. In addition, it is advisable to wait for a period of time after finishing the cancer treatment and starting to get pregnant, usually around two years, which is the time to monitor a possible reappearance of the cancer and to ensure that the body has recovered properly.
It should be noted that not all women who undergo this type of treatment suffer permanent infertility. In fact, it is estimated that the rate of recovery of ovarian function can be between 20% and 70% depending on the type of chemotherapy used to fight the cancer. If a natural pregnancy is not possible, there are different assisted reproduction methods that can help the process, such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), oocyte donation or embryo adoption.
Immediately after the diagnosis of cancer and before starting chemotherapy treatment, the possibility of preserving fertility through oocyte vitrification should be considered. It is a technique in which oocytes are retrieved before they can be damaged by the treatment and preserved for use once the disease is overcome. According to data from the Sociedad Española de Fertilidad (SEF), almost 40% of oocyte vitrification cycles during 2021 were due to medical reasons.
The rest were for social reasons. It is a safe technique that is highly effective in women who have decided to postpone the moment of becoming mothers and want to do so with their own oocytes, avoiding oocyte donation.
Whether gestation is natural or through assisted reproduction, pregnancy after breast cancer is safe for both mother and baby. Moreover, current data indicate that pregnancy does not increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence, although it is important to have a complete evaluation with the oncologist before becoming pregnant and an adequate medical follow-up during pregnancy to confirm that everything is progressing perfectly.
Santiago Moragón, Raimondo Di Liello, Begoña Bermejo, Cristina Hernando, Ernesto Olcina, Isabel Chirivella, Ana Lluch, Juan Miguel Cejalvo, María Teresa Martínez.
Fertility and breast cancer: A literature review of counseling, preservation options and outcomes.
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2021;
103461
Revisión sobre la fertilidad en pacientes con cáncer de mama, incluyendo asesoramiento reproductivo, preservación de la fertilidad mediante criopreservación de ovocitos y embriones y seguridad del embarazo después del cáncer:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34461268/
Yeon Hee Hong, Changhee Park, Haerin Paik, Kyung-Hun Lee, Jung Ryeol Lee, Wonshik Han, Seho Park, Seockhoon Chung, Hee Jeong Kim.
Fertility Preservation in Young Women With Breast Cancer: A Review.
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2023;
221-242
Revisión sobre el riesgo de infertilidad asociado a los tratamientos del cáncer de mama y las principales opciones de preservación de la fertilidad, incluyendo criopreservación de ovocitos, embriones y tejido ovárico:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37387349/
Alessia Romito, Sonia Bove, Ilaria Romito, Drieda Zace, Ivano Raimondo, Simona Maria Fragomeni, Pierluigi Maria Rinaldi, Domenico Pagliara, Antonella Lai, Fabio Marazzi, Claudia Marchetti, Ida Paris, Gianluca Franceschini, Riccardo Masetti, Giovanni Scambia, Alessandra Fabi, Giorgia Garganese.
Ovarian Reserve after Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
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2021;
704
Revisión sistemática y metaanálisis sobre el efecto de la quimioterapia en la reserva ovárica de mujeres con cáncer de mama, evaluando especialmente los cambios en los niveles de hormona antimülleriana (AMH):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34442350/
Matteo Lambertini, Eva Blondeaux, Marco Bruzzone, Marta Perachino, Richard A. Anderson, Evandro de Azambuja, Philip D. Poorvu, Hee Jeong Kim, Cynthia Villarreal-Garza, Barbara Pistilli, Ines Vaz-Luis, Cristina Saura, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Maria Alice Franzoi, Chiara Sertoli, Marcello Ceppi, Hatem A. Azim Jr, Frederic Amant, Isabelle Demeestere, Lucia Del Mastro, Ann H. Partridge, Olivia Pagani, Fedro A. Peccatori.
Pregnancy After Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
.
2021;
3293-3305
Revisión sistemática y metaanálisis sobre la posibilidad de embarazo después del cáncer de mama, sus resultados reproductivos y la seguridad materna, fetal y oncológica del embarazo posterior:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34197218/
Privacy Policy
IVF-LIFE, hereby informs you of its privacy policy applied to personal data. The use of the website does not imply that the user must provide any information regarding their identity, and cannot be associated with a specific user by the company. In the event that personal data is provided, this data will be collected and used in accordance with the limitations and rights set out in the aforementioned regulation.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROCESSING OF YOUR DATA?
DATA CONTROLLER: IVF SPAIN ALICANTE S.L.U (hereinafter IVF-Life)
CIF: B-54973227
Postal Address: Avenida de Ansaldo, no. 13, 03540, Alicante (Alicante)
Contact with the Data Protection Officer: dpo@ivf-life-group.com
DATA CONTROLLER: Instituto Vasco de Fertilidad (hereinafter IVF-Life)
CIF: B95575874
Postal Address: Avenida de Tolosa, 71-73, 20018 Donostia / San Sebastián (Spain)
Contact with the Data Protection Officer: dpo@ivf-life-group.com
DATA CONTROLLER: IVF Spain Madrid (hereinafter IVF-Life)
CIF: B 85138113
Postal Address: C/ de Manuel de Falla, 6-8, 28036 Madrid (Spain)
Contact with the Data Protection Officer: dpo@ivf-life-group.com
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- Connection, geolocation and navigation data.
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The use of certain services or requests addressed to IVF-LIFE are subject to the prior completion of the corresponding form. All the information provided by the User through the forms on the Portal for the above purposes or any other must be truthful.
To this end, the User guarantees the authenticity of all the data provided and will keep the information provided to IVF-LIFE perfectly up to date so that it corresponds at all times to the User's real situation. In any case, the User will be solely responsible for any false or inaccurate statements made and for any damage caused to IVF-LIFE or third parties because of the information provided.
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Users who provide personal data of other natural persons are obliged to comply, in relation to said data, with all obligations deriving from the data protection regulations in force, and in particular the duty to inform and obtain the consent of the owner of the personal data.
When we request your personal data to provide access to certain website functionalities, we will mark the required fields to ensure the service can be delivered.
Please note that if you choose not to provide us with this data, you may not be able to complete your registration as a user or you may not be able to enjoy those services or functionalities.
For the processing of data, IVF-LIFE adopts the security levels required by current European and national legislation on the Protection of Personal Data. Notwithstanding the above, technical security in a medium such as the Internet is not impregnable and there may be leaks due to the malicious actions of third parties.
Our services are aimed at people of legal age, in the event that some of our services are specifically aimed at minors, IVF-LIFE will request the consent of parents or guardians for the collection of personal data or, where appropriate, for the automated processing of data as set out in current legislation. If the User is a minor, they are required to have the prior consent of their parents or guardians before proceeding to the inclusion of their personal data in the forms on the Website.
Initially, your personal data are provided directly by you, but in certain cases they may originate from centres, referring doctors and public health systems with which there is collaboration.
FOR WHAT PURPOSES DO WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA?
Depending on how you interact with our website, we will process your personal data for the following purposes:
To deal with requests or requests that you make through the different means incorporated into our website.
We only process the personal data that is strictly necessary to manage or resolve your request or application.
For marketing purposes
To the extent that you subscribe to our newsletter, your personal data will be used for the periodic sending of company newsletters.
You should remember that you can unsubscribe from the newsletter, at any time and free of charge, by contacting us via the e-mail address of the data controller or by following the instructions that we will provide you with in each of our communications.
For the management of social networks
If you follow us or contact us through the different social networks in which we are present, we will process the data that you provide to us through these for the sole purpose of responding to your messages or comments and managing our contact list.
Usability and quality analysis to improve our services (cookies).
If you access our platform, we inform you that we will process your browsing data for analytical and statistical purposes, i.e. to understand how users interact with our platform and thus be able to make improvements to it. Likewise, we sometimes carry out quality actions and surveys aimed at finding out the degree of satisfaction of our customers and users and detecting those areas in which we can improve.
WHAT IS THE LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING YOUR DATA?
The legal basis that allows us to process your personal data also depends on the purpose for which we process them, so we will find different legal bases under the following purposes:
Attention to requests for information.
The legal basis for the processing of your data is the informed consent to respond to queries raised through the website, forms and other means provided, which implies the prior reading and acceptance of these conditions by the interested party.
Marketing
The legitimate basis for processing your data for marketing purposes is the consent you provide.
Social networking
The basis of legitimacy is the informed consent to respond to queries raised through the social network, as well as the time when you follow us and want to be part of our contact list.
Usability and quality analysis (cookies)
User consent to the use of cookies.
HOW LONG WILL WE KEEP YOUR DATA?
Request for information. We will process your data for as long as it is necessary to deal with your request or request and thereafter 1 year.
Marketing
We will process your data until you unsubscribe or cancel your subscription to the newsletter.
Social media
We will process your data for as long as it is necessary to deal with your request and for as long as you are a follower of our profile.
WILL WE SHARE YOUR DATA WITH THIRD PARTIES?
Personal data will not be transferred or communicated to third parties, except: legal obligation, we obtain your express consent, or we understand that there is a legitimate interest on our part, which will be duly communicated to you.
However, we inform you that we are present in the following social networks: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, to keep our followers informed regarding the company's news and services.
You can access these social networks voluntarily and through the links available on the website itself or by accessing directly and on your own from your browser or installed app.
You should know that this website is not responsible for the use of the data that these social networks may make. However, when these data are generated in the social network and derive from an interaction with our website, we will not be held responsible for the use of such data.
In order to consent to our transfer from this website and the processing of your data, you should carefully read the privacy policy of the social network you wish to access:
Facebook: Facebook Privacy Policy
Instagram: Instagram Privacy Policy
LinkedIn: Linkedin Privacy Policy
YouTube: Youtube Privacy Policy
Spotify: Spotify Privacy Policy
In this way, before clicking on the logos of the SS. RR. present on our website, you can inform yourself and make a redirection with prior knowledge of the processing of your data and on a voluntary basis.
Other technological services:
- WhatsApp: WhatsApp Privacy Policy
- Companies of the "IVF LIFE Group" on the legal basis of consent or legitimate interest: Instituto Vasco de Fertilidad S.L.U., with NIF B95575874 and address at Avda Tolosa, 71-73 Donostia (Gipuzkoa), and IVF Spain Madrid S.L., with NIF B85138113 and address at Calle Manuel de Falla, 6-8, 28036 Madrid.
WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS WHEN YOU PROVIDE US WITH YOUR DATA?
We undertake to respect the confidentiality of your personal data and to guarantee you the exercise of your rights.
You may exercise them free of charge by sending us an e-mail to our address above, simply by providing proof of identity, the reason for your request and the right you wish to exercise.
If we consider it necessary in order to identify you, we may ask you for a copy of a document proving your identity. In particular, regardless of the purpose or the legal basis on which we process your data, you have the right to:
Ask us for access to the data we hold about you.
Ask us to rectify the data we already hold about you. Please note that by actively providing us with your personal information in any way, you warrant that it is true and accurate and you undertake to notify us of any changes or modifications to it.
Ask us to delete your data to the extent that they are no longer necessary for the purpose for which we need to process them as we have previously informed you, or to the extent that we no longer have the legitimacy to do so.
Ask us to restrict the processing of your data, which means that in certain cases you may ask us to temporarily stop processing the data or to keep it longer than necessary when you may need it. If you have given us your consent to process your data for any purpose, you also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
To receive the personal data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable form and to transfer it to another data controller.
Moreover, where the processing of your data is based on our legitimate interest, you also have the right to object to the processing of your data.
Finally, we inform you of your right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority, with the Spanish Data Protection Agency.
CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY
We may change the information contained in this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we do so, we will notify you by various means through the Platform, or we will notify you at your email address when the change in question is significant to your privacy, so that you can review the changes, assess them and, where appropriate, object to or unsubscribe from any service or functionality.
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