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Family planning when you carry a cancer gene fault | CION Cancer Clinics
Carrying an inherited cancer gene fault does not stop you having children. It adds choices about how you have them. For most genes, each child has a one-in-two chance of inheriting the fault, and a child who does is born healthy. This page sets out every option, when to think about each, and who can help you decide. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
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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 still have children if I carry a cancer gene?
- What are the ways carriers have families?
- When to think about what
- Family planning terms, in plain language
- What a cancer gene changes about family planning, and what it does not
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- Common questions about family planning with a cancer gene
The short answer
Can I still have children if I carry a cancer gene?
Yes. Carrying an inherited cancer gene fault does not stop you having children, and most carriers go on to have families. What it adds is a set of choices about how you have them. You can conceive naturally, test embryos or a pregnancy, use a donor, adopt, or decide not to have children. Every one of these is a legitimate choice.
The chance of passing it on
For most inherited cancer genes, each child of a carrier has a one-in-two chance of inheriting the fault. That chance applies afresh to every pregnancy. A child who inherits it is born healthy. What they inherit is a raised risk in adult life, and they can be tested and screened when they are grown.
Why it helps to plan early
Some options take time to set up. Embryo testing, for example, needs a laboratory test designed for your family's exact fault before IVF can begin. Some carriers are also advised to have preventive surgery once their family is complete, so the timing of pregnancy and surgery may need to fit together. Starting the conversation before you try to conceive keeps every option open.
Your gene result is a fact about risk. It is not a verdict on whether you should be a parent.Your options
What are the ways carriers have families?
A genetic counsellor sets these out side by side, without ranking them. Each suits different couples for different reasons.
Conceiving naturally
No testing before or during pregnancy. Many carriers choose this, especially for genes whose risk begins in adult life. Your child can decide about testing when they are an adult.
Testing embryos (PGT-M)
Embryos made through IVF are tested for the family's fault, and one without it is placed in the womb. It avoids decisions during pregnancy but needs IVF and is usually paid for privately.
Testing during pregnancy
CVS or amniocentesis can show whether the baby has inherited the fault. Some couples test simply to know and prepare. Each carries a small added risk of miscarriage.
Other paths to a family
Choices that do not involve testing at all.
- Donor eggs or donor sperm in place of the carrier's
- Adoption
- Choosing not to have children
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistAcross the years
When to think about what
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Before or around marriage
Deciding whether and when to tell a partner is personal. Many carriers find that sharing the result early, with a counsellor's help, builds trust and makes later decisions shared ones.
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Before trying for a pregnancy
This is the best time for a couples session with a genetic counsellor. It is also the time to set up embryo testing or a pregnancy test, if you want either.
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During pregnancy
Tell your obstetrician about the family gene. For some genes, breast checks continue during pregnancy and breastfeeding in a way suited to that time.
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After your family is complete
For some genes, preventive surgery is suggested once you have had the children you want. Your specialist will explain whether this applies to you and when.
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As your children grow up
Share the family history gradually and honestly. Most children are offered testing only when they are adults and can decide for themselves.
Words you will hear
Family planning terms, in plain language
- Dominant inheritance
- One faulty copy of the gene is enough to raise the risk. Each child of a carrier has a one-in-two chance of inheriting it.
- Carrier
- Someone with an inherited gene fault who does not have cancer. Being a carrier is not an illness.
- PGT-M
- Testing embryos made through IVF for a known family fault before one is placed in the womb.
- Prenatal diagnosis
- Testing an ongoing pregnancy for the family's fault, using CVS or amniocentesis.
- Consanguinity
- When partners are related by blood, such as cousins. It matters for a few rare conditions where both parents carry the same gene fault.
- Germline
- Present in every cell from birth, including eggs and sperm. Only a germline fault can pass to a child.
Side by side
What a cancer gene changes about family planning, and what it does not
What it changes
What stays the same
You have extra options to consider before pregnancy
You can still conceive and carry a pregnancy normally
Each child may inherit a raised adult risk
A child who inherits it is born healthy
Timing of preventive surgery may shape your plans
Routine antenatal care and delivery
Your obstetrician should know the family history
Breastfeeding is still encouraged
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which option is right for your family. That depends on the gene, how cancer has affected your relatives, your ages, your fertility, your beliefs and your budget. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot give you figures for your own situation
How much risk a child would inherit, how likely IVF is to work for you, and when surgery is advised all differ from gene to gene and person to person. Studies for some genes are still small. A counsellor and your specialists can give you numbers that actually apply to you.
Who this does not apply to
Most people planning a family do not need any of this. It applies only when one partner has a confirmed inherited fault. A variant of uncertain significance, a change whose meaning is not yet known, is not used to guide reproductive choices. A fault found only inside a tumour cannot be passed to a child; that testing belongs to targeted therapy.
If your family has married within the family, mention it. It can change which tests are useful.Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"A carrier should not marry or have children."
This is simply not true. Carriers marry and have healthy families all the time. The gene raises a risk that can be watched and managed. It is not a reason to give up on a family.
"Only daughters can inherit a breast cancer gene."
Sons and daughters have exactly the same chance of inheriting it. A son who carries it can pass it on to his own children and has raised risks himself.
"Pregnancy will trigger the cancer."
Carriers have healthy pregnancies all the time, and pregnancy does not switch on a gene fault. Studies of pregnancy in carriers are still limited, so your specialists may adjust breast checks while you are pregnant.
"If our first child is fine, the next one will be too."
Each pregnancy has its own separate chance. One child being unaffected does not change the chance for the next, and one affected child does not make the next more likely.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about family planning with a cancer gene
Should my partner be tested too?
Usually not for the same gene, unless your partner has their own family history or you are related by blood. A counsellor will ask about both families and tell you whether testing your partner would add anything useful.
Is embryo testing available in Hyderabad?
Several IVF centres in India offer PGT-M, including in Hyderabad, but setting up a test for one family's fault takes time. Your genetic counsellor can guide you to a registered centre and send your report ahead.
Can I breastfeed if I carry a BRCA fault?
Yes. Breastfeeding is encouraged for carriers just as for anyone else. If you are under breast screening, your specialist will explain how checks work while you are breastfeeding.
Does being a carrier affect my fertility?
For most genes, fertility is the same as anyone else's. Some studies suggest certain faults may slightly reduce egg supply, but the evidence is mixed. If you are worried, a fertility specialist can check.
What if I already have cancer and want children later?
Ask about fertility preservation before treatment starts, since some treatments affect fertility. Freezing eggs, embryos or sperm can keep options open, and embryos can later be tested for the family's fault.
Are these options covered by Aarogyasri or Ayushman Bharat?
Fertility treatment and embryo testing are usually paid for privately. Genetic counselling and cancer care may be covered differently. Check with the scheme desk or your insurer before you start, as coverage rules change.
How do we tell our families about our choice?
You do not have to tell anyone. Some couples share their choice openly, and others keep it private to avoid pressure. A counsellor can help you plan what to say to parents and in-laws, if and when you want to.
Where do we start?
Start with a couples session with a genetic counsellor, ideally before you try to conceive. Call the CION helpline and ask for family planning counselling after a genetic result. Bring the carrier's report and a rough family tree.
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
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Sources
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What are the different ways a genetic condition can be inherited?
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority — Pre-implantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) and Pre-implantation genetic testing for chromosomal structural rearrangements (PGT-SR)
- MedlinePlus — Prenatal Testing
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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Related pages
Talk to us
Planning a family after a gene result?
A genetic counsellor can walk both of you through every option before you try to conceive, in Telugu if you prefer. One helpline serves every CION centre.