Is there any hope of having children, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer?

Dear Doc,

My 15-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is about to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I was assured that the cancer can be cured. Is there any hope for her to have children of her own in the future?{{more}}

Lucy

Dear Lucy,

Yes!!

It is interesting to note that young people can develop cancers too. The ovary is such an organ that can develop into a cancer at a young age.

First, we must establish that indeed that a person can be cured from cancer. In the case of your daughter, she has ovarian cancer and it is the ovary that produces the egg which can be fertilized by a sperm to develop into a baby.

During treatment for your daughter’s cancer, the ovaries would be surgically removed she would be given chemotherapy and later radiotherapy. These three procedures remove all possibilities of producing an egg.

There is a procedure available which involves harvesting eggs from the ovary and preserving them via refrigeration, as long as necessary, for fertilization and implantation at a later date. This is a procedure that is offered for persons who are exposed to situations that can destroy the ovaries or damage their contents. This procedure is very expensive though and one still has to consider the cost of fertilization and implantation later on. The first baby from this procedure was born in 2004.

Doc

SVG Cancer Society,
P.O. Box 709, Kingstown.
Email: svgsocietycancer@gmail.com
Phone: 526-7036