Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Planning a family when you carry a TP53 fault | CION Cancer Clinics
If you carry an inherited TP53 fault, each child you have has a one in two chance of inheriting it. That does not mean you cannot have children. Several options can lower or remove the chance, including embryo testing with IVF. This page sets out every option fairly, what each involves in India, and the questions to ask before a pregnancy. 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 a TP53 carrier have children without passing it on?
- What choices do TP53 carriers have when planning a family?
- How does embryo testing for TP53 work?
- What do the family planning terms mean?
- How do embryo testing and pregnancy testing compare?
- What do couples believe about TP53 and having children?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about TP53 and family planning
The short answer
Can a TP53 carrier have children without passing it on?
Yes, there are ways. Each child of a TP53 carrier has a one in two chance of inheriting the fault, and several options can change that. These include testing embryos during IVF, testing a pregnancy early on, using donor eggs or sperm, or adopting. Many carriers also choose to conceive naturally and accept the chance, with checks for the child from early life.
There is no single right choice
Each option has its own cost, effort and meaning for your family. What feels right depends on your beliefs, your age, your finances and what you have seen TP53 do in your own family. A counsellor's job is to lay the options out fairly. It is never to push you towards one of them.
Your partner's genes do not change the chance
TP53 faults are passed on by one parent alone. Your partner's family history, and whether you are related by marriage within the family, does not change the one in two chance for TP53. It may matter for other conditions, which a counsellor can check separately.
The best time to talk about family planning is before a pregnancy, when every option is still open.The options
What choices do TP53 carriers have when planning a family?
These are the main routes. Each suits some couples and not others.
Natural conception
You conceive as usual and accept the one in two chance. If the child carries the fault, checks can begin in early childhood, which is one reason TP53 testing in children is often discussed.
Embryo testing with IVF
Embryos made through IVF are tested for the family fault, and one without it is placed in the womb. This is called PGT-M.
Worth knowing
- It needs IVF, even if you conceive easily
- It usually costs several lakh rupees
- A pregnancy is not certain
Testing during pregnancy
A sample from the placenta or the fluid around the baby is tested for the family fault. It gives an answer early, but what to do with that answer raises hard ethical and legal questions to discuss first.
Donor eggs or sperm, or adoption
Using an egg or sperm from a donor removes the carrier's genes from the pregnancy altogether. Adoption is another way to build a family, and some couples decide not to have children. Each is a valid choice.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistEmbryo testing
How does embryo testing for TP53 work?
Counselling and planning
A genetic counsellor and a fertility specialist check that your family's exact TP53 change is known and can be tested in embryos.
A test is built for your family
The laboratory designs a test for your family's change, often using samples from you and your relatives.
IVF and embryo testing
Eggs are collected and fertilised in the lab. A few cells are taken from each embryo and tested for the fault.
An unaffected embryo is transferred
An embryo without the fault is placed in the womb. A confirmation test during pregnancy is usually offered.
Words you will hear
What do the family planning terms mean?
- PGT-M
- Preimplantation genetic testing for a single-gene condition. Embryos are tested before one is placed in the womb.
- IVF
- In vitro fertilisation. Eggs and sperm are joined in a laboratory rather than in the body.
- Prenatal diagnosis
- Testing a baby for a known family fault during pregnancy.
- CVS
- Chorionic villus sampling. A small sample of the placenta is taken, usually around the end of the third month of pregnancy.
- Amniocentesis
- A sample of the fluid around the baby is taken, usually a little later than CVS.
- Fertility preservation
- Freezing eggs, sperm or embryos before cancer treatment that could harm fertility.
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Side by side
How do embryo testing and pregnancy testing compare?
Embryo testing (PGT-M)
Testing during pregnancy
Done before a pregnancy begins
Done once a pregnancy is under way
Needs IVF, with its cost and effort
Needs no IVF
Avoids a decision about an ongoing pregnancy
May lead to a very hard decision
Offered at registered fertility clinics
Offered through fetal medicine services
Commonly believed
What do couples believe about TP53 and having children?
"A carrier should not have children."
That is not a medical rule. Many carriers have children, by different routes. The decision belongs to the couple, made with full information.
"Embryo testing is illegal in India."
India's assisted reproduction law allows embryos to be tested for a known serious genetic condition at registered clinics. What the law bans is choosing a baby's sex.
"If our first child is unaffected, the next one will be affected."
Each pregnancy is a fresh one in two chance. What happened before does not change the next result.
"We must tell the other family everything before the marriage."
A genetic result is private. Many carriers do choose to share it with a future partner, because it affects children. A counsellor can help you decide how and when.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which option is right for you, or whether embryo testing will work in your case. That depends on your family's exact change, your age, your fertility and the clinic. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot settle the ethical questions
Testing embryos or a pregnancy for a condition that raises cancer risk, rather than causing illness at birth, is a subject on which thoughtful people disagree. Talk it through with your partner and a counsellor, and with a religious or community advisor if that matters to you.
Pregnancy for women carriers needs planning too
Some checks, such as breast MRI with contrast, are paused or changed during pregnancy. Tell your check-up team as soon as you plan to conceive, so the schedule can be adjusted safely.
Who this does not apply to
This page is for people with a confirmed germline TP53 fault. If TP53 appeared only on a tumour report, it cannot pass to your children.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about TP53 and family planning
What is the chance my child will inherit TP53?
Each child has a one in two chance, whether the carrier is the mother or the father. The chance is the same in every pregnancy. A child who does not inherit the fault cannot pass it on to their own children.
Is PGT-M available in Hyderabad?
Yes, several registered fertility clinics in Hyderabad offer embryo testing. Ask whether they have tested for TP53 before and which laboratory they use. Your genetic counsellor can share the family report with the clinic so the right test is built.
How much does embryo testing cost?
IVF with embryo testing usually runs into several lakh rupees, and more if more than one cycle is needed. It is rarely covered by insurance or government schemes. Ask the clinic for a written estimate that separates IVF, the genetic test and any medicines.
Can the man be the carrier?
Yes. A father passes on a TP53 fault exactly as a mother does. Embryo testing works either way. If the father carries it, donor sperm is also an option some couples consider.
Is pregnancy safe for a woman who carries TP53?
Most carriers have healthy pregnancies. The main change is that some checks are adjusted, and any breast lump during pregnancy should be looked at promptly rather than put down to pregnancy. Plan with your team before you conceive.
Should I freeze eggs or sperm now?
If you are well, it is not routinely needed. If you are about to start cancer treatment that could affect fertility, ask about freezing eggs, sperm or embryos first. Frozen embryos can later be tested for the family fault.
Does breastfeeding change a carrier's checks?
Breastfeeding is encouraged where possible. Breast MRI can be harder to read while feeding, so your team may adjust the timing. Keep telling them about any lump or change, and do not wait for the next scheduled scan.
Who should we speak to first?
A genetic counsellor, ideally before a pregnancy. They will explain every option and refer you on to a fertility or fetal medicine specialist if needed. Call the CION helpline if you are not sure where to begin.
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
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — Li-Fraumeni Syndrome
- MedlinePlus Genetics — Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What are the different types of genetic tests?
- 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.
Keep reading
Related pages
Testing the family for TP53Who else in the family should be offered a testDeciding whether to test children for TP53If you have children already, or are planning themPreimplantation genetic testing (PGT-M) explainedEmbryo testing, step by step and in more depthTP53 positive: what happens nextThe check-up plan that runs alongside family planning
Talk to us
Planning a family and not sure where to begin?
Tell us about the TP53 result in your family and what you are hoping for. We will help you reach a counsellor who can lay out every option before you decide. One helpline serves every CION centre.