Ovarian cancer and fertility

A diagnosis of ovarian cancer is likely to affect your fertility if you are a younger patient.

Ovarian cancer treatment may mean you won’t be able to get pregnant naturally, but there are choices available to you.  It is important to talk to your clinical team about your fertility needs before your treatment starts.

The fertility conversation should include:

• Adjusting treatment to preserve fertility
• Assessing the likelihood of getting pregnant after treatment, including your age, and treatments you are having
• Options for fertility treatment
• Fertility counselling
• The risks of delaying your ovarian cancer treatment

Speak to our support line.

Do you have questions about ovarian cancer or your diagnosis?
Our support line is here:

Monday - Friday 10am-5pm.

Call 0808 008 7054 or email support@ovacome.org.uk

If you are diagnosed with early- stage ovarian cancer, or if you have a germ cell tumour of the ovary, you may be offered fertility sparing surgery (FSS).  However, this may not be possible if your treatment needs to start immediately, if both your ovaries are affected, the cancer is aggressive or you were diagnosed through emergency surgery.

Your team may recommend that you wait two years after your treatment before trying to get pregnant. This lowers the risk caused by cancer treatment, and ovarian recurrence is more likely within two years of treatment.

You may want to explore fertility options such as egg freezing, in vitro fertilisation (IVF), using donor eggs or donor embryos.

You may also want to know more about surrogacy, or adoption and fostering.

Feelings about fertility

The realisation that your cancer treatment could damage your fertility may cause you distress, grief and anger.

Talk to your clinical team who should be able to put you in touch with a counsellor or therapist who can support you and help you manage your feelings.  Talk to your partner and your family.

Use the contacts and services in Ovacome’s Fertility booklet to help you come to terms with the changes in your life.

Amy says:

I first went to my GP with difficulties conceiving. I had fertility tests which showed nothing was wrong except I had an ovarian cyst. After a year of feeling tired and experiencing migraines, I went back to my GP. I was advised against preventative medication because we were trying for a baby. My dreams of starting a family began to fade.

By now I had abdominal pains and was referred to a gynaecologist who did a scan and saw the cyst. I had been referred for fertility investigations as I had unexplained infertility. I was diagnosed with stage 3 low grade ovarian cancer, two and a half years after I first went to my GP. I was 36.

Ovarian cancer has taken away my ability to have a family. This has been very difficult. Now my lifestyle has changed. I have started running again and passed my Masters in history which has given me focus.

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We welcome your feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email r.grigg@ovacome.org.uk or call 0207 299 6653.