IVF Helped Me Get Pregnant After Breast Cancer

I started IVF treatments in RSMC when I was newly married at age 37. I had already experienced several miscarriages. At age 39, I was diagnosed with a small, but aggressive, form of breast cancer. We were devastated.

I underwent surgery to remove the lesion, followed by debilitating chemotherapy and radiation. I also removed an ovary to try to shield it from the harmful effects of chemo (which can destroy fertility). I also went through physical therapy to regain the use of my arm on the treated side of my body. Surprisingly, my ovarian function began to return, so we tried again to have a child via IVF.

It did not work for several months and we almost gave up again. Then, on one cycle when my FSH was pretty high, I got pregnant after breast cancer! I was 41. We prepared ourselves for a possible miscarriage since that had been our previous experience, but to our surprise, the IVF treatment worked!  At 42, we’ve welcomed another little girl to be a sister to our first child thanks to RSMC, and we can’t thank them enough!

—J.J Young  NV