Pregnancy rates lower in cancer survivors than general population, study finds

Study suggests that fewer than one in 15 premenopausal women will preserve their fertility following breast cancer treatment.

The compounded risk and consequences of unfavourable and undesirable effects on the reproductive potential of female survivors following breast cancer treatment, and the options possible for preserving fertility prior to commencing treatment, need to be more clearly explained to patients.

This meta-analysis of papers published between 1995 and 2015, which reported reproductive outcomes following treatment for breast cancer, comprised 16 case-control and matched cohort studies, with an overall sample of 1,287 participants.

The findings of the analyses suggested that the pregnancy rates for women living with and beyond breast cancer were, on average, 40% lower when contrasted with general population pregnancy rates. The literature suggested that fewer