Should I go through egg retrieval?

[anxious98]

I’m 23 years old with no kids and I’ve been diagnosed with stage 1c ovarian cancer. I was operated on April- which removed my left ovary along with the 18cm yolk sac tumour. There was no sign of spread. Just recently had a CT scan 3 weeks ago to confirm the all clear. However, my tumour marker AFP has been going up since 3 weeks ago- not entirely sure why since it was 0.1 away from normal range more than a month ago. It’s been going down since surgery but has recently spiked up. The consultant says if it goes up again I will need to go through 3 rounds of chemo in August to prevent the spread. I was referred to fertility to start egg retrieval but the doctor said it may be too risky to go through it if cancer remains on my one ovary. As the egg retrieval procedure may puncture my ovary abs cause cancer to spread further. But nothing showed up on CT scan… should I be optimistic and go through egg retrieval?

I’ve been with my boyfriend for 4 years now: I’m terrified of the thought that I won’t be able to have babies with him.

Would anyone like to share their experience with egg retrieval as an ovarian cancer patient?

[Lyndy]

Hello anxious98You poor thing, it is awful that you are facing this terrible dilemma. I don’t feel in the least qualified to advise you so I am going to suggest you start by ringing the Ovacome helpline. They will be able to give you information and hopefully put you in touch with expert advice.

A decision of this magnitude probably needs a second opinion and you may need the most expert doctors in the country to get the right advice. Very best of luck, don’t give up on your desire to have your own children, at least not until it’s certain they can’t do the procedure safely xx

[anxious98 in reply to Lyndy]

Thanks Lyndy- will stay positive for now. I’ll give them a ring later x

[Tulips66]

Hi Anxious98, I am so sorry you are dealing with OC at such a young age. I am afraid I can't give you any advice with regards to egg retrieval as I was 52 when diagnosed & lucky to have two daughters one now the same age as you. Ovacome have a young women's group, I think under 44yrs so maybe there might be some other women on it that can help you with information. I wish you the best of luck going forward & hope that all will go well for you Xx

[SASSY196]

I'm really sorry I also can't help as was much older when diagnosed, 53. I agree with the advice of other ladies, call the Ovacome team and try to link in with the group for younger women. Macmillan may also be able to help. Sending you all the love in the world, Sara xxx

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Dear anxious98

Thank you for your post. I’m really sorry to hear that you’ve been feeling terrified. I can see that you’ve had some supportive replies from the forum community which I hope you’ve found helpful.

Our members have mentioned above about Ovacome’s under 45 group, which is a friendly and supportive space to connect with others who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer at a younger age, ask questions and share experiences. If you would like to learn more about the monthly online sessions, please visit: ovacome.org.uk/event/under-.... The group have often spoken about fertility in the past. You would be really welcome to join our next meeting on Wednesday 3 August between 5 – 6:30pm.

We also have some information for younger people diagnosed with ovarian cancer that I hope may be of interest: ovacome.org.uk/younger-people. This contains details about our Younger Women’s guide, written in partnership with several other charities, which can be found here: ovacome.org.uk/Handlers/Dow... . There is specific information about fertility from page 39 onwards. We can also send this guide out to you in the post, free of charge, if you prefer?

In addition, I wanted to let you know about another organisation called Fertility UK, who provide free and impartial support, advice, information and understanding for anyone affected by fertility issues. To learn more, please visit: fertilitynetworkuk.org/ . They also have a support line which is run by two former fertility support nurses, with more information about this service available here: fertilitynetworkuk.org/acce... .

I hope this information is useful. We are here to support you, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would ever like to talk things through with a member of our support team. You can call our support line on 0800 008 7054, email us via [e-mail] or reply to us directly through this forum. We’re here Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm, to discuss questions, provide relevant information, or just have a friendly chat.

Best wishes

Annie – Ovacome support