A cancer diagnosis can change your priorities overnight. Between medical tests, appointments, and decisions about treatment, you may find yourself facing a question you never expected to ask: What does this mean for my plans to become a mother?
Some cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy, can affect your fertility. That’s why it’s worth asking whether you can preserve your fertility before treatment begins. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to bring that conversation into focus.
Pink October in Mexico: Beyond Breast Cancer Statistics
In Mexico, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is widely known as Octubre Rosa, or “Pink October.” Throughout the month, public awareness campaigns and community conversations draw attention to breast cancer and the importance of early detection.
According to INEGI, Mexico recorded 8,451 deaths from breast cancer in 2024, with women accounting for 99.2% of those deaths.
Behind these numbers are individuals, families, and difficult decisions. They underscore the importance of early detection and timely medical care, while also reminding us that people facing a cancer diagnosis may have other needs that deserve attention.
Fertility is one of them. And this conversation extends beyond breast cancer. It may also be relevant for people diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, testicular cancer, and other types of cancer, depending on the treatment they need.
Cancer Treatment and Fertility: Why Start the Conversation at Diagnosis?
Oncofertility brings oncology and reproductive medicine together to assess how cancer treatment might affect a person’s ability to have children and which fertility preservation options may be appropriate.
It doesn’t mean placing fertility ahead of cancer care. Rather, when a patient’s medical circumstances allow, both can be addressed from the beginning.
In fact, the 2025 ASCO guidelines recommend discussing fertility risks at diagnosis and referring patients to a reproductive specialist, including those who are still unsure whether they want to preserve their fertility.
I’ve Been Diagnosed With Cancer. What Should I Do if I Want to Preserve My Fertility?
1. Ask About Fertility Before Treatment Begins
You can start by asking your oncologist: “I’d like to have children in the future. Could the treatment I’m about to receive affect my fertility?”
It’s also worth asking how soon treatment needs to begin and whether there’s time for a fertility consultation. You don’t need to have everything figured out before raising the subject. What matters is making sure your plans and concerns are part of the medical discussion.
2. Request a Consultation With a Fertility Specialist
You don’t have to wait until every test is complete to ask for a referral. A fertility specialist will need to understand your cancer diagnosis, the proposed treatment, and when it’s expected to begin.
With that information, they can assess which options may be suitable for you. In some cases, evaluating ovarian function may be helpful. In others, sperm freezing may be worth considering. The assessment should be guided by your cancer treatment plan, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
3. Explore Your Fertility Preservation Options
Depending on your circumstances, options may include egg or embryo vitrification, sperm freezing, or other specialized approaches. Each involves different requirements and timelines.
For a closer look at how these procedures work, read our article Fertility and Cancer: A Conversation About Oncofertility.
The most important question at this stage is which of these options may be available to you before cancer treatment begins.
4. Coordinate the Timing With Your Medical Team
Some fertility preservation procedures can be arranged before chemotherapy or other cancer treatments, but the amount of time available will depend on your medical situation.
Your oncologist and fertility specialist should work together to determine what’s appropriate, taking into account your health and how urgently treatment needs to begin. Never delay or change your cancer treatment on your own in an attempt to preserve your fertility.
What if You’re Not Sure You Want Children Yet?
You can still ask about your options. Perhaps motherhood or fatherhood isn’t part of your immediate plans, or maybe you haven’t decided whether you want children at all. Learning what’s available doesn’t mean committing to a procedure.
The goal is to make sure your future plans for motherhood aren’t left out of the conversation simply because fertility wasn’t discussed when it mattered.
Your Future Deserves a Place in the Conversation, Too
Breast Cancer Awareness Month reminds us why timely cancer care matters. Discussing oncofertility from the moment of diagnosis can be part of that care, without taking priority away from cancer treatment.
If you’re preparing to undergo cancer treatment and are concerned about how it might affect your plans to start a family, our team at Nascere can help you explore your fertility preservation options in coordination with your oncologist.
