The Fertility Podcast
How do I deal with a cancer diagnosis in my 20's
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Episode notes
In this episode we chat with Aby who at the age of 25 was diagnosed with breast cancer and made the decision to freeze her eggs for the future. We also spoke to Aby’s consultant Carole Gilling-Smith. Carole is the Medical Director at The Agora Clinic.
Making the decision
At the time that Aby was diagnosed, fertility couldn’t have been further from her mind. She was enjoying life in her 20’s, was single and had recently left home. Therefore not only did she find that she had a cancer diagnosis but she was also facing making a decision about her fertility for the future. All of which played out during lockdown!
Aby received so much support in her decision making and therefore she found her questions answered and ultimately making the decision was a lot easier than she expected.
Beating the clock
As Aby’s diagnosis occurred just before fertility treatments stopped due to COVID-19, there was no time to delay. As soon as Aby’s surgery finished she was straight into ovarian stimulation and egg collection.
Explaining the process
Carole talks about the importance of explaining every step in the process and how that may differ from individual to individual. Aby tells us how she dealt with receiving all the information at the time and found the best way was to deal with the most pressing aspects now.
Support
Aby received fantastic support from her mum and her flatmate, and found that lockdown has been a positive as her nearest and dearest have been able to be around her.
The odds
Aby has frozen her eggs to give her a good chance for the future but equally there is a good chance that despite chemotherapy Aby may still be able to conceive with her own eggs. Carole explains the success rate of egg freezing and how the success rates have increased since using the process of vitrification. If you are under 35 years of age and freeze 20 eggs or more, statistically you will have 85% chance of a live birth. However being 39-40 years of age means that the success rate is lower.
Listen to a previous episode with Carole Gilling Smith, from The Agora
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