IVF and increased cancer risk?

[Orangeflowers]

Hello all, I signed my consents and it said each time that there's no evidence IVF increases the risk of cancer. However I've had a Google following reading some posts on Facebook and I've seen high quality studies suggest that there could be increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. I think this may relate to estrogen and progesterone.i m not sure if the stimulation drugs and trigger may also have associated increased cancer risk?

im really worried now. I've had 3 cycles and am planning more.

Please can people advise what it said on your consents and what the consultant's have said? ? I'm especially worried as my mum was diagnosed late with a hormone receptive breast cancer.T hanks for any advice.h ope everyone is doing well x

[Orangeflowers]

Should clarify - the consents said early studies thought there was a link between IVF and increased cancer risk, but latter studies disproved this.

That's not quite what I've found, I really hope not

[StarsAllAround]

There was nothing on my consent forms about a possible link between IVF and cancer. But if your worried just make sure you attend your smears as they will pick up abnormal cells which can be dealt with before cancer develops and check your breast regularly for any changes if picked up early far easier to treat. Link below on how to check.

nhs.uk/common-health-questi....

[Orangeflowers in reply to StarsAllAround]

Thank you for confirming. All the best you you x

[McQueeny]

I think my consents said something similar. It’s an ongoing debate. Some people think there’s a link, others don’t. Some doctors believe any hormonal treatment (even taking birth control pills) can increase your risk. It’s a really tough question, and I think the reality is we just don’t know yet. Though if there is a link, I don’t think it’s very strong, as we would have known that by now….

I’ve had 4 fresh rounds now, and 5 FETs - and I’m not stopping quite yet! My mum wants me to stop because she thinks there a link…. I think we’ll probably go one last time. But I’m not making any commitments for now.

It’s a personal choice I think about what you perceive as your risk and how much going through IVF means to you… sorry for not being more helpful 😕

[Orangeflowers in reply to McQueeny]

That's really helpful for sharing. I hope it works for you x

[Twiglet2]

Nothing on my consents at all and like Mcqueeny says there’s always been anecdotal evidence and studies into all things where women take hormones (contraception, HRT etc) but whether there is an actual link or not hasn’t been proven. Defo not something that would stop me and I can’t reverse time anyways as it’s already been done so, like all ladies, we just have to watch out for any signs 🤗 xx

[Orangeflowers in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you for sharing. Hope all goes well for you x

[Christianbaby]

There was no mention at all in the forms about any link between ivf and cancer. I suggest you not worry about it as it will add to you anxieties. The lesser stress the better, especially on something we don't know much about.

[Orangeflowers in reply to Christianbaby]

Weird isn't it how some clinics don't mention it and others do. Thanks for sharing x

[HMCW22]

Hi, before proceeding with IVF I was advised to have a BRCA test. This was because of family history of breast cancer and my Mum having the gene. I was told the IVF meds had a slight chance of increasing risk if I didn't have the gene but if I did have the gene this slight chance could add to already high statistics. Like mentioned above I would avoid google and speak with your HCP about it. I'm not sure of your family history but I was asked about mine before proceeding with meds.

Hope this helps!

x

[Orangeflowers in reply to HMCW22]

Thank you! I hope all goes well for you x

[HedgehogMad]

My understanding is that the current evidence suggests that for women who have IVF and don't get pregnant, there is a slightly increased risk of benign ovarian tumours (or borderline tumours), but I don't think there is any evidence currently that IVF increases your risk of dangerous cancers. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....

laivfclinic.com/blog/does-i...

Quite wordy but hope this helps xx

[Orangeflowers in reply to HedgehogMad]

Thank you so much. I'll take a read ☺️

[DolphinJ]

Hi Orangeflowers. While going through IVF I was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous condition (i.e. high chance of developing into cancer if untreated). I had a biopsy on a polyp in my endometrium. The term was complex hyperplasia with atypia. It is caused by too much estrogen that hasn't been balanced out sufficiently with progesterone. The lining of the womb thickens too much. Fortunately, they are keen on doing biopsies of polyps and so they picked it up. I wore a mirena coil for 6 months (its a progestin) and then had 2 clear biopsies. The doctors were very surprised that I had it as it is very rare for someone in their thirties with healthy bmi to have it (I think like 1 in a million or something). So when I ask why?, doctors have trouble explaining and just shrug. One gynaecologist did ask about family history so that might be a factor. One gynaecologist said it might be something underlying that was then triggered by the IVF. But I was surprised she admitted this. I think the main thing is to make sure you take progesterone to balance out the estrogen you are given. I think pregnancy massively reduces the risk as your body produces masses of progesterone. Getting into the menopausal age range definitely increases risk as hormones are no longer the same. Doctors have said I either need to wear a coil virtually permanently, or do non-stop IVF transfers to try to get me pregnant! 😄 But it's good there is hope there - I'm keeping going with the IVF because it's my best (only) chance of having a baby. They don't seem too concerned that I will get a problem again while undergoing treatment. They just wouldn't want me to go lots of months with no meds or monitoring. Maybe mention your concerns to your IVF doctor. I don't know if this is helpful at all. But just be reassured that through IVF you are being monitored, so they keep an eye on you and prevent it getting bad. Although they wouldn't pick up on breast cancer. All the best and let me know if you have any other questions xx

[Orangeflowers in reply to DolphinJ]

Thank you so much for explaining. I had no idea about the balance of estrogen and progesterone potentially being protective too. I guess it's different for different types of cancers. Hope all is well now x