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CION Cancer Clinics
BRCA2 and having children: your options, explained plainly | CION Cancer Clinics
Most people who carry a BRCA2 fault have children in the usual way. Each child has a one in two chance of inheriting it, from a mother or a father. If you want to lower that chance, embryo testing through IVF and other options exist. This page explains each choice, how BRCA2 affects the timing of a family, and what to plan before you start trying. 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 if I carry a BRCA2 fault?
- What are the options for having children?
- How to plan a family as a BRCA2 carrier
- The terms that come up, in plain language
- How family planning differs for women and men with BRCA2
- Four worries carriers raise, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about BRCA2 and having children
The short answer
Can I have children if I carry a BRCA2 fault?
Yes. Most people who carry BRCA2 have children in the usual way. Each child has a one in two chance of inheriting the fault, whether it came from the mother or the father. If you want to lower that chance, there are options, and a genetic counsellor can walk you through them before you start trying.
The one in two chance, explained
You have one faulty copy of BRCA2 and one working copy. Each egg or sperm carries only one of the two. So every pregnancy is a fresh toss of a coin. Having one child who inherited it does not make the next child more or less likely to.
Why timing matters more for women
Women who carry BRCA2 are often advised to consider removing the ovaries and fallopian tubes later in life to lower ovarian cancer risk. For BRCA2 this is usually later than for BRCA1, often in the forties. It ends natural fertility, so some women plan their families a little earlier around it.
A carrier's child is not born ill. BRCA2 raises risk in adult life, not in childhood.Your choices
What are the options for having children?
None of these is the right answer for everyone. Many couples choose the first one and are comfortable with it.
Conceive naturally, no testing
The most common choice. Your child can decide about their own test as an adult, and screening from early adulthood lowers the harm if they do carry the fault.
Test embryos through IVF
Embryos are made through IVF, and a few cells from each are tested for the family's fault. An embryo without it is placed in the womb.
Worth knowing
- It needs full IVF, with its costs and strain
- It is regulated under India's assisted reproduction law
- Choosing a baby's sex is illegal
Test during pregnancy
A sample from the placenta or the fluid around the baby can be tested. Many doctors are cautious about this for a condition that affects adult life, so discuss it well before you are pregnant.
Donor eggs or sperm, or adoption
Using a donor from the partner who does not carry the fault removes the chance of passing it on. Adoption is another path some couples take.
Each option has emotional and financial weight. Take your time.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBefore you start trying
How to plan a family as a BRCA2 carrier
See a counsellor together
Bring your partner. A genetic counsellor will explain the options, the costs and what each one involves, and will not push you towards any of them.
Think about testing your partner
If your partner also carries BRCA2, a rare and serious childhood condition becomes possible. This matters most when partners are related, as in cousin marriages.
Line up your own screening
Breast checks continue through pregnancy, usually with ultrasound in place of MRI. Plan with your doctor so screening does not quietly lapse during the busy years.
Ask about freezing eggs
If chemotherapy or preventive surgery might come before you finish your family, ask about freezing eggs or embryos first. Men facing chemotherapy can bank sperm.
Plan the preventive surgery conversation
Talk about when ovary removal would be advised for you, and fit your family plans around it rather than being surprised by it later.
Words you will hear
The terms that come up, in plain language
- Autosomal dominant
- One faulty copy is enough to raise risk, and it can pass from either parent to a son or a daughter equally.
- PGT-M
- Preimplantation genetic testing for a single gene. The test done on IVF embryos for a known family fault.
- Chorionic villus sampling
- A small sample taken from the placenta early in pregnancy to test the baby's genes. It carries a small risk of miscarriage.
- Amniocentesis
- A sample of the fluid around the baby, taken with a fine needle later in pregnancy. It also carries a small miscarriage risk.
- Salpingo-oophorectomy
- Removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes. As a preventive step it lowers ovarian cancer risk and ends natural fertility.
- Egg freezing
- Collecting and freezing eggs so they can be used later, for example after treatment or preventive surgery.
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Side by side
How family planning differs for women and men with BRCA2
Women carriers
Men carriers
Each child has a one in two chance of inheriting
Exactly the same one in two chance
Preventive ovary removal may shape timing
Little effect on when to have children
Breast checks continue through pregnancy
Own checks carry on as usual
Egg freezing may matter before treatment
Sperm banking may matter before chemotherapy
Commonly believed
Four worries carriers raise, and what is actually true
"Getting pregnant will set off cancer in a carrier."
Pregnancy has not been shown to clearly raise overall breast cancer risk in BRCA2 carriers. Studies are mixed and some are small, which is why screening continues through pregnancy.
"A carrier should not breastfeed."
Breastfeeding is safe and is encouraged. Some studies suggest it may slightly lower breast cancer risk. Any new lump while feeding should still be checked.
"IVF hormones will give me cancer."
Studies so far have not shown a clear rise in cancer risk from fertility medicines in carriers. The studies are small, so discuss your own situation with the fertility team.
"We should test our baby at birth so we know."
A BRCA2 fault changes nothing in childhood. Testing usually waits until the child is an adult and can choose for themselves. Knowing early can shape how a child is treated at home.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which option is right for you. That depends on your age, your own health, your partner, your finances and your beliefs. A genetic counsellor can lay out each path honestly, and a fertility specialist can tell you what is practical. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot give you current costs or legal detail
IVF and embryo testing costs vary widely between clinics, and the rules on what can be tested are set by law and change over time. Ask the fertility clinic in writing what is permitted and what is included.
Who this does not apply to
If you tested negative for the exact BRCA2 fault in your family, your children cannot inherit it from you. If your result was a variant of uncertain significance, these options are not usually offered, because nobody yet knows whether the change matters.
Talking about BRCA2 before a marriage is a personal decision. A counsellor can help you think about when and how.Questions we are asked
Common questions about BRCA2 and having children
Will my child definitely inherit BRCA2 from me?
No. Each child has a one in two chance, like a coin toss, and each pregnancy is separate. A child who does not inherit the fault cannot pass it on. A child who does inherit it carries a raised adult risk, not a certainty of cancer.
Should my partner be tested too?
It is worth discussing, especially if you are related or come from the same small community. If both partners carry BRCA2, each pregnancy has a small chance of a child with two faulty copies, which causes a serious childhood condition.
Can IVF choose an embryo without the BRCA2 fault?
Yes, through preimplantation genetic testing. The family's exact fault must be known first. It involves full IVF, with its costs and physical strain, and it is regulated in India. Ask the fertility clinic what is permitted for BRCA2 before starting.
Can I breastfeed if I carry BRCA2?
Yes, and it is encouraged. Breast checks carry on while you feed, though scans are harder to read. Tell your doctor about any lump that does not settle after a feed or after a blocked duct clears.
Does pregnancy raise my breast cancer risk?
Studies have not shown a clear overall rise for BRCA2 carriers, though the evidence is mixed. What matters most is that screening carries on through pregnancy and after. Ultrasound is usually used in place of MRI while you are pregnant.
Should I freeze my eggs before preventive surgery?
If you have not finished your family and surgery is being discussed, ask about it. Eggs and embryos can be frozen for later use. A fertility specialist can tell you how well this is likely to work for your age.
My husband carries BRCA2. Does it affect our daughters?
Each daughter and each son has a one in two chance of inheriting it from him. Daughters who inherit it carry the breast and ovarian risks, so they should be offered the test as adults and start screening at the age their doctor advises.
When should I tell a future spouse's family?
There is no rule, and it is a personal choice. Some families share it early and some after the engagement. India has no dedicated law against genetic discrimination. A counsellor can help you think through what to say, and to whom.
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)
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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
- NHS — Predictive genetic tests for cancer risk genes
- MedlinePlus Genetics — BRCA2 gene
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.
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Planning a family with a BRCA2 result?
A genetic counsellor can explain every option to you and your partner, including the ones you may not want, with no pressure. One helpline serves every CION centre.