Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
BRCA1 and family planning: your choices, explained | CION Cancer Clinics
A BRCA1 fault does not stop you conceiving or having a healthy baby. Each child has an even chance of inheriting it, whichever parent carries it. Some couples simply conceive and let their children decide about testing as adults. Others choose embryo testing during IVF. This page explains the options, how BRCA1 affects the timing of decisions, and what each choice involves. At CION Cancer Clinics, our oncologists explain what a gene result means for you and your family, and plan the checks that follow.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Can I have children safely if I carry BRCA1?
- What are the options for having children?
- How do BRCA1 decisions fit around having a family?
- The terms fertility and genetics teams use
- Natural conception or embryo testing?
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about BRCA1 and having children
The short answer
Can I have children safely if I carry BRCA1?
Yes. A BRCA1 fault does not stop you conceiving, carrying a pregnancy or having a healthy baby. Each child has an even chance of inheriting the fault, and there are several ways to plan around that if you want to.
What a child actually inherits
You pass on one of your two copies of the gene, chosen by chance. That gives each child, son or daughter, a one in two chance of carrying the fault. The chance is the same in every pregnancy. A child who inherits it is healthy through childhood, because BRCA1 risks begin in adult life.
Why timing matters more with BRCA1
Removal of the ovaries and tubes is usually discussed earlier for BRCA1 than for BRCA2, because ovarian risk starts earlier. It ends natural fertility. So many women with BRCA1 think about when to complete their family sooner than they otherwise would. Some choose to freeze eggs or embryos to keep options open.
Family planning is a personal decision. No option on this page is expected of you.The choices
What are the options for having children?
Couples choose very differently, and every one of these is a reasonable choice.
Conceive naturally, test later
This is what most carriers do. The child is not tested in childhood. As an adult they can choose whether to be tested and, if they carry the fault, start screening early.
Test embryos during IVF
Embryos made through IVF are tested, and one without the fault is placed in the womb. This is called PGT-M. It avoids passing the fault on but involves full IVF treatment.
Worth knowing
- Paid privately in most cases
- Not every cycle gives a suitable embryo
- Needs the exact family fault to be known
Test during pregnancy
A sample from the placenta or the fluid around the baby can show whether the baby carries the fault. Because BRCA1 risks begin in adult life, few couples choose this. Talk it through carefully before deciding.
Donor eggs, donor sperm or adoption
Some couples use a donor from outside the family. Others adopt. These routes are covered on the reproductive options pages.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistPlanning around a result
How do BRCA1 decisions fit around having a family?
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Learn your result and talk to a counsellor
Ask how your result affects the timing of screening and surgery. Bring your partner if you can, so you hear the same facts together.
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Think about fertility if cancer treatment is ahead
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, some treatments can affect fertility. Eggs or embryos can often be frozen first. Ask before treatment starts, not after.
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Screening adjusts during pregnancy
Contrast breast MRI is not used in pregnancy. Ultrasound and a careful breast examination take its place. Screening returns to the usual plan after breastfeeding ends.
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Discuss ovary removal once your family is complete
This is one option among several for lowering ovarian risk. Your gynaecologist will talk through the timing, the effects of early menopause and the alternatives.
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Decide later how to talk to your children
Children do not need to know in childhood. Many parents explain the family history as their children reach adulthood and can decide about testing for themselves.
Words you will hear
The terms fertility and genetics teams use
- PGT-M
- Testing embryos during IVF for one known family fault, before an embryo is placed in the womb.
- Prenatal diagnosis
- Testing a baby during pregnancy, using a sample from the placenta or from the fluid around the baby.
- Egg or embryo freezing
- Storing eggs, or eggs already fertilised, for use later. It keeps options open before surgery or treatment.
- Ovarian reserve
- A rough measure of how many eggs remain. A fertility doctor checks it with a blood test and a scan.
- Dominant inheritance
- One faulty copy is enough to raise risk. This is why each child has an even chance of inheriting it.
- Carrier
- Someone who has the fault but not cancer. A carrier is not a patient and does not need treatment.
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Side by side
Natural conception or embryo testing?
Natural conception
Embryo testing with IVF
Each child has an even chance of the fault
The embryo chosen does not carry the fault
No medical treatment needed to conceive
Needs hormone injections and an egg collection
No extra cost
Costs more than a standard IVF cycle
A child who inherits it can be screened as an adult
A pregnancy is not certain from any one cycle
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"A woman with BRCA1 should not marry or have children."
There is no medical reason for this. Carriers marry, conceive and raise healthy children. The fault affects adult cancer risk, which can be watched and lowered.
"Only daughters can inherit it."
Sons inherit it just as often. A son can pass it to his own children, and he has a small raised risk himself. Leaving sons out of the conversation is how the fault goes unnoticed for a generation.
"Pregnancy will make my cancer risk worse."
Studies so far do not show that pregnancy harms BRCA1 carriers overall. After breast cancer, the timing of a pregnancy needs planning with your oncologist, and studies here are still small.
"Embryo testing is illegal in India."
Indian law allows embryo testing for a known inherited condition at a registered clinic. What it bans is choosing a baby's sex. The rules are strict, so ask the clinic about its registration.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which option is right for your family. That depends on your age, your health, your partner, your beliefs and what you can afford. A genetic counsellor and a fertility specialist can help you weigh it without pushing you either way.
It cannot read your report
Embryo testing depends on the exact fault named in your report. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. Bring the report to any fertility appointment.
Who this does not apply to
If your report shows a variant of uncertain significance, these options do not apply, because there is no confirmed fault to test for. The same is true if a BRCA1 fault was found only in tumour tissue. Most families with BRCA1 conceive naturally and never use embryo or prenatal testing. Counselling can take place in Telugu, with your partner or parents in the room if you wish.
If you are unsure where to start, call the helpline. Someone will help you reach the right team.Questions we are asked
Common questions about BRCA1 and having children
Does BRCA1 affect fertility?
Most women with BRCA1 conceive normally. Some studies suggest a slightly lower egg reserve, but the results are mixed. If you are worried, a fertility doctor can check your reserve with a blood test and a scan.
Should my partner be tested for BRCA1 too?
Not usually for BRCA1 itself. It matters mainly if your partner also has a strong family history of cancer, in which case their own testing is worth discussing. Your counsellor will say whether it applies.
Do I have to tell the family before a marriage?
Many families worry about this, and there is no single right answer. Carrying a fault is not an illness. A counsellor can help you think about what to share, when and how, and can suggest where to get legal advice if you need it.
Can I breastfeed if I carry BRCA1?
Yes. Breastfeeding is safe, and some studies suggest it may lower breast cancer risk slightly in BRCA1 carriers. Breast screening usually restarts once breastfeeding ends, so plan the timing with your team.
Is embryo testing available in Hyderabad?
Some fertility clinics in large Indian cities, including Hyderabad, offer it through partner laboratories. The laboratory needs the exact family fault before it can design the test. Ask each clinic about its registration, costs and how many cycles couples usually need.
Can I freeze my eggs before ovary removal?
Yes. Egg or embryo freezing before surgery keeps the option of a pregnancy later, carried in your own womb. Success depends a great deal on your age when the eggs are frozen.
When should my children be tested?
Usually not before adulthood. BRCA1 risks start in adult life, and nothing about childhood care changes. Testing waits until your son or daughter can make the choice for themselves.
Can I get pregnant after breast cancer?
Many women do. The timing depends on your treatment, especially if you take hormone tablets. Plan it with your oncologist, who may pause treatment for a pregnancy in some situations.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — BRCA Gene Changes: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — BRCA1- and BRCA2-Associated Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer
- MedlinePlus Genetics — BRCA1 gene
- NHS — Predictive genetic tests for cancer risk genes
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Talk to us
Planning a family with a BRCA1 result?
Tell us where you are in your plans. We will help you reach a genetics team who can go through the options with you and your partner. One helpline serves every CION centre.