Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Fertility preservation when you carry a cancer gene | CION Cancer Clinics
Some gene carriers freeze eggs, embryos or sperm to keep the chance of a biological child open. It usually comes up before cancer treatment that may affect fertility, or before surgery to remove the ovaries. Frozen embryos can later be tested for the family's fault. This page explains the options, how freezing works, and who does not need it. 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
- Should a gene carrier think about freezing eggs, sperm or embryos?
- What can be frozen, and who each option suits
- How egg or embryo freezing usually works
- Fertility clinic terms, in plain language
- When preservation is usually worth discussing, and when it is not
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things carriers tell us, and what is actually true
- Common questions about fertility preservation for carriers
The short answer
Should a gene carrier think about freezing eggs, sperm or embryos?
Some carriers should, and many never need to. Fertility preservation means freezing eggs, embryos or sperm now so they can be used later. For carriers it comes up in three situations: before cancer treatment that may harm fertility, before preventive surgery that removes the ovaries, and when family plans are some way off but a surgery date is not.
Why carriers face this question more often
For some genes, doctors suggest removing the ovaries and fallopian tubes once a woman's family is complete, at an age that depends on the gene. If you are not yet ready for children, freezing eggs or embryos before that surgery can keep the option of a biological child open. Men facing cancer treatment are usually offered sperm freezing beforehand.
The link with embryo testing
Frozen embryos can later be tested for the family's fault through PGT-M, so an unaffected embryo can be chosen. Frozen eggs can be fertilised later and tested the same way. Preserving fertility and preventing the gene passing on can therefore be planned together.
Timing matters
Egg freezing usually takes a couple of weeks from the start of injections to collection. If treatment or surgery is being planned, ask for a fertility referral straight away rather than after the date is set.
Freezing keeps an option open. It is not a promise of a future pregnancy.The options
What can be frozen, and who each option suits
A fertility specialist will recommend what fits your age, your situation and how much time you have. These are the main choices.
Egg freezing
Hormone injections help the ovaries produce several eggs, which are collected in a short procedure and frozen. It suits women without a partner, or who prefer to keep eggs rather than embryos.
Embryo freezing
Collected eggs are fertilised with a partner's sperm and the embryos are frozen. Embryos are the most established form of storage, and they can be tested for the family's fault before freezing or later.
Worth knowing
- Both partners must consent to their use later
- Suits couples who are settled together
Sperm freezing
A quick and simple option for men facing cancer treatment or surgery that may affect fertility. Samples are usually given at the clinic and can be stored for many years.
Ovarian tissue freezing
A piece of ovary is removed and frozen for possible use later. For carriers of genes that raise ovarian cancer risk, putting that tissue back later raises questions of its own, so it is rarely the first choice for them.
Ask how many years your clinic will store samples, and what it costs each year.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
How egg or embryo freezing usually works
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A fertility consultation
The specialist asks about your periods, past pregnancies and any cancer history, and explains the options. Bring your genetic report and details of planned surgery or treatment.
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Tests of your egg supply
A blood test and an ultrasound scan give an estimate of how many eggs your ovaries are likely to produce. This helps set realistic expectations.
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Hormone injections
Daily injections encourage several eggs to mature at once. For women who have had a hormone-sensitive breast cancer, a medicine that keeps oestrogen levels lower is often added.
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Egg collection
A short procedure under sedation collects the eggs through the vagina using an ultrasound-guided needle. Most women go home the same day.
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Freezing and storage
Eggs are frozen straight away, or fertilised first and frozen as embryos. They stay in storage until you are ready, when they can be thawed and used through IVF.
Words you will hear
Fertility clinic terms, in plain language
- Ovarian reserve
- An estimate of how many eggs remain in the ovaries. It falls with age and cannot be increased.
- AMH
- A blood test used to estimate ovarian reserve. It guides planning but cannot predict whether you will conceive.
- Stimulation
- The course of hormone injections that helps several eggs mature at the same time.
- Vitrification
- Very fast freezing, which protects eggs and embryos from damage. It is the method most clinics now use.
- Oncofertility
- The care that brings cancer doctors and fertility specialists together to protect future fertility.
- Risk-reducing surgery
- Removing healthy organs, such as the ovaries and tubes, to lower cancer risk in a carrier.
Side by side
When preservation is usually worth discussing, and when it is not
Often worth discussing
Usually not needed
Ovary removal is advised before your family is complete
Your family is complete, or you do not want children
Chemotherapy or pelvic radiation is planned
Your treatment is not expected to affect fertility
You want embryos tested later for the family fault
You plan to conceive naturally in the near future
Tests show a lower egg supply than expected
You carry a gene with no effect on ovarian surgery timing
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you your chance of a baby from frozen eggs or embryos. That depends mostly on your age when they are frozen and how many are stored, and a fertility specialist can estimate it for you. What your specific variant means for surgery timing is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test and your specialist.
It cannot settle every safety question
Some studies suggest certain gene faults may slightly lower egg supply, and others do not. Studies of hormone stimulation in healthy carriers are reassuring so far but small. Your specialists will weigh what is known against your own situation.
Who this does not apply to
Most carriers do not need fertility preservation. If you plan to have children before any preventive surgery, and no treatment is planned, there is often nothing to freeze. A fault found only inside a tumour is not inherited; that testing belongs to targeted therapy. See also timing pregnancy around cancer treatment.
Commonly believed
Four things carriers tell us, and what is actually true
"Freezing my eggs means I can wait as long as I like."
Frozen eggs keep an option open, but success depends on the age at which they were frozen and how many there are. It is a backup, and not a promise of a future pregnancy.
"The hormone injections will give me cancer."
Studies so far have not shown that a stimulation course raises breast cancer risk in carriers, though they are small. For women who have had breast cancer, protocols that keep oestrogen lower are used.
"There is no point freezing eggs if they might carry the gene."
Eggs are not tested when frozen. Once fertilised, the embryos can be tested for the family's fault, so an unaffected embryo can be chosen.
"Men do not need to think about this."
Men carriers facing cancer treatment should be offered sperm freezing before it starts. It is quick, and it keeps the option of embryo testing open later.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about fertility preservation for carriers
Will freezing eggs delay my cancer treatment?
Usually only briefly, if at all, when the referral is made early. Your oncologist and fertility specialist will decide together whether there is time. When treatment cannot wait, they will say so plainly and discuss other options.
Can I freeze eggs before risk-reducing surgery?
Yes. Many carriers do, when surgery is advised before their family is complete. Plan it with both your surgeon and fertility specialist, so the freezing is finished before the surgery date.
Can the frozen embryos be tested for the family gene?
Yes, through PGT-M, if a test has been set up for your family's exact fault. Testing can happen before the embryos are frozen or when they are thawed. Ask the IVF clinic which approach it uses.
How long can eggs, sperm or embryos be stored in India?
Storage is regulated under the Assisted Reproductive Technology Act, and limits apply. Ask your clinic how long it can store your samples, what happens when that period ends, and what yearly storage costs.
Is fertility preservation covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
It is usually paid for privately. Some insurers are starting to cover it before cancer treatment, but this is not common. Check your policy, and ask the clinic for a written estimate that includes storage.
What if I am not married yet?
You can freeze eggs on your own. Embryos need a partner's or donor's sperm, so unmarried women usually freeze eggs. Ask the clinic about the current legal requirements under the ART Act, as they can affect who is eligible.
What happens to frozen samples if I no longer need them?
You will be asked to decide in advance, on the consent form. Options usually include ending storage or, where the law allows, research. You can update your wishes later by contacting the clinic.
Who should I ask first?
Ask your oncologist or genetic counsellor for a fertility referral as soon as surgery or treatment is discussed. You can also call the CION helpline and ask for help arranging a fertility consultation.
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
- National Cancer Institute — Female Fertility and Cancer Treatment
- National Cancer Institute — Male Fertility and Cancer
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority — Egg freezing
- National Cancer Institute — BRCA Gene Changes: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing Fact Sheet
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
Timing pregnancy around risk-reducing surgeryFitting children around preventive surgeryTiming pregnancy around cancer treatmentWhen it is safe to try after treatmentPGT-M explainedTesting stored embryos for the family faultDonor eggs and donor sperm as an optionIf your own eggs or sperm cannot be used
Talk to us
Facing surgery or treatment and thinking about children?
Ask early and we will help you arrange a fertility consultation alongside your cancer or genetics care. One helpline serves every CION centre.