Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. There are things that cause a female to have a higher risk for infertility, and others that might not affect fertility at all. All women who have undergone cancer treatment should see a fertility specialist for testing because the return of your periods doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the same ovarian reserve you had before your cancer treatment.Most chemotherapy drugs carry at least some risk of damaging your eggs. Generally speaking, women in their 40s are at higher risk of entering menopause early with chemo.If you’re in your 20s or younger, you have much better odds of becoming pregnant after chemotherapy. Most women getting pelvic radiation will lose their fertility. For reprint requests, please see our Cancer Information, Answers, and Hope. This can compromise your ovarian reserve, or supply of fertile eggs, placing you at risk for early menopause.Three main factors determine the extent of female infertility after chemotherapy.The closer you are to menopause, which typically occurs in a woman’s early 50s, the more likely you are to experience permanent menopause after chemotherapy. There are some tumors that happen near the nervous system, such as the brain or spinal cord. Fertility-related services in pediatric oncology across the cancer continuum: A clinic review. Learn more about these partnerships and how you too can join us in our mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.At the American Cancer Society, we’re on a mission to free the world from cancer. Some women at high risk for breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers, or who have a hereditary cancer syndrome might choose to have a partial or total hysterectomy as a means to help prevent the cancers from starting.Sometimes other types of cancer surgery that's done for tumors in the abdomen or pelvis can cause scarring in and around reproductive organs. High doses of chemotherapy may be more likely to damage your fertility than lower doses. An update on fertility preservation strategies for women with cancer. In DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. The risk of infertility varies depending on:Surgery might be needed for a tumor that's in or near another reproductive organ, such as an ovary or fallopian tube, or the uterus or cervix. In DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. Griffiths MJ, Winship AL, Hutt KJ. The older you are and the closer you are to your natural menopause, the higher the risk of infertility. These problems are most likely in women who had radiation during childhood, before the uterus began to grow during puberty.Sometimes radiation to the brain affects the pituitary gland. Campbell SB, Woodard TL. In Brown CG, ed. Sivestris E, Dellino M, Cafforio P, Paradiso AV, Cormio G, D’Oronzo S. Breast cancer: An update on treatment-related infertility. In Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Fertility preservation and reproduction in patients facing gonadotoxic therapies: An Ethics Committee opinion. We can even find you a free ride to treatment or a free place to stay when treatment is far from home.Our team of expert journalists brings you all angles of the cancer story – from breaking news and survivor stories to in-depth insights into cutting-edge research.What does it take to outsmart cancer? In Brown CG, ed. Oktay et al. You might hear people refer to a "partial" or "total" hysterectomy. High doses can destroy some or all of the eggs in the ovaries and might cause infertility or early menopause. Many chemo drugs can hurt a developing fetus, causing birth defects or other harm. Moment A. Sexuality, intimacy, and cancer. Oktay et al. As chemotherapy drugs can harm an unborn baby, your doctor may talk to you about using contraception during and after chemotherapy.Although chemotherapy often affects fertility, it doesn’t always. Different types of surgeries and treatments can have different effects. Sexuality and reproductive issues. Even if the radiation is not aimed right at the ovaries, the rays can be absorbed and might still damage the ovaries. According to the American Cancer Society, certain chemotherapy agents and infertility risk are more closely linked, carrying a higher risk of egg damage.Other chemo drugs, including methotrexate, fluorouracil and vincristine, are not as strongly associated with infertility. Sometimes chemotherapy causes permanent infertility and an early menopause.