Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Having children anyway: a legitimate choice | CION Cancer Clinics
Having children without testing embryos or a pregnancy is a legitimate choice for people who carry a cancer gene fault. Many carriers make it, for medical, personal, financial or religious reasons. This page explains what the choice means for a child, which situations deserve extra thought, how to prepare, and why no counsellor should make you feel it is the wrong one. 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
- Is it all right to have children if I carry a cancer gene?
- What does this choice mean for a child you have?
- How can we prepare if we choose this path?
- The family planning words, in plain language
- Conceiving naturally or testing embryos: what differs?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things couples hear about this choice, and what is true
- Common questions about having children as a carrier
The short answer
Is it all right to have children if I carry a cancer gene?
Yes. Having children the usual way, without testing embryos or a pregnancy, is a legitimate choice, and many carriers make it. Genetic counselling exists to inform your decision, not to make it for you.
Why many carriers choose this
Most inherited cancer faults raise risk in adult life rather than in childhood. A child who inherits one will grow up in a family that knows about it, with screening and prevention that earlier generations never had. Some couples also find IVF with embryo testing too costly, too demanding or against their beliefs.
What the choice does and does not mean
It does not mean you are careless or that you misunderstood the risk. It means you weighed the options and chose to build your family the way most families are built. It also leaves room for your child to decide about testing later, as an adult, for themselves.
The right choice is the one you can live with. Counsellors are trained to support every option, including this one.For your child
What does this choice mean for a child you have?
For most families the picture is more hopeful than the word gene suggests. For a few, there is more to think about.
An even chance, not a certainty
For most inherited cancer faults, each child has an even chance of inheriting it, like the toss of a coin. Each pregnancy is separate, so one child's result says nothing about the next.
Risk usually begins in adult life
For most faults, extra checks start in adulthood. Children are usually not tested until they are old enough to choose, so childhood can be ordinary.
A family that already knows
Your child will not have to discover the fault through a relative's illness. They will have your report, your experience and a head start on screening if they need it.
A few exceptions
Some situations deserve a specialist conversation before you try to conceive.
Talk to a counsellor first if
- Your fault is linked to cancers in childhood
- Both of you may carry a fault in the same gene
- You and your partner are related by blood
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBefore and during pregnancy
How can we prepare if we choose this path?
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See a genetic counsellor before you try
One appointment can confirm whether your gene is one of the exceptions. For most couples it simply confirms that no extra steps are needed.
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Ask whether your partner should be tested
This matters most in marriages between relatives, which are common in some Telangana families, or if your partner's family also has a strong history of cancer.
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Plan around your own care
If you are having regular screening, or considering surgery to lower your risk, ask how pregnancy and breastfeeding fit around it. The timing of some operations depends on whether your family is complete.
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Tell your obstetrician
Share your result early in pregnancy, so your pregnancy doctor and your oncology team can plan together.
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Keep the family record safe
File your report, the gene name and the counsellor's letter where your child can find them as an adult.
Words you may hear
The family planning words, in plain language
- Dominant
- One faulty copy is enough to raise risk. Most inherited cancer faults work this way.
- Recessive
- A condition that appears only when a child inherits a faulty copy from both parents.
- PGT-M
- Testing embryos made through IVF for a known family fault, before one is placed in the womb.
- Prenatal diagnosis
- Testing a pregnancy that is already under way, using a sample taken from around the baby.
- Consanguinity
- Marriage between blood relatives, such as cousins. It raises the chance that both partners carry the same fault.
- Non-directive counselling
- Counselling that gives you the facts and supports your decision without steering you towards one answer.
Side by side
Conceiving naturally or testing embryos: what differs?
Conceiving naturally
IVF with embryo testing
Conception the usual way, at home
Several clinic visits, injections and procedures
No added cost for testing
A considerable cost, rarely covered by schemes
Each child has an even chance of inheriting
An embryo without the fault can be chosen
Your child can decide about testing as an adult
The question is settled before pregnancy
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your gene is one of the exceptions, or what your child's risk would be. That depends on the exact gene, the exact variant and both sides of the family. A genetic counsellor can answer it properly, usually in a single appointment.
It cannot read your report
What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. Faults in different genes behave very differently, and some carry far less risk than their names suggest. Studies following the children of carriers into adult life are also still limited.
Who this does not apply to
If your fault is linked to serious illness in childhood, or if both partners carry a fault in the same gene, the picture changes. Please talk to a counsellor before deciding. If your report shows only a variant of uncertain significance, there is nothing confirmed to plan around.
If you would like a counselling appointment before trying for a baby, call the helpline. You can come as a couple.Commonly believed
Four things couples hear about this choice, and what is true
"Having children when you carry a gene is selfish."
Carriers have had children for as long as families have existed, mostly without knowing. Choosing with the facts in hand is responsible, not selfish. Your child's life is not defined by one gene.
"Doctors will push us to test the pregnancy."
Genetic counselling is meant to be non-directive. You will be told what is possible, and you can decline any test. If you feel pressured, you can ask for another counsellor.
"If we do not test now, our child will never know."
Your child can be tested as an adult, when they can decide for themselves. Many counsellors see that as the better timing for faults that only matter in adult life.
"Our child will certainly get cancer."
Your child may not inherit the fault at all. If they do, it raises risk rather than settling anything, and they will know to be watched.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about having children as a carrier
Will a counsellor judge us for not testing?
A good counsellor will not. Their job is to make sure you understand the options, then support the one you choose. Many couples in your position decide not to test, and counsellors see that often. If you ever feel judged, you are entitled to ask for someone else.
Can we change our minds once I am pregnant?
Testing a pregnancy is possible early on, but it involves a procedure and there are legal limits on the decisions that can follow. If you think you might want it, speak to a counsellor before or very early in the pregnancy, so the option stays open.
Does pregnancy raise my own cancer risk as a carrier?
The evidence is mixed and differs from gene to gene. Studies so far are not large enough to give a firm answer for everyone. Ask your oncologist or counsellor how it applies to your gene, and how your screening will continue during pregnancy.
Should my husband or wife be tested too?
Usually only if you are related by blood, or if their family also has a strong history of cancer. In those cases both of you may carry a fault in the same gene, which can matter for a child. Your counsellor will tell you whether it is needed.
Can our baby be tested at birth?
For faults that raise risk only in adult life, testing usually waits until the child is an adult and can decide. A few syndromes do need testing in childhood, because early screening genuinely helps. Your counsellor will say which applies to your family.
Is it safe to breastfeed if I carry a gene?
Yes. Carrying a fault is not a reason to avoid breastfeeding. Ask how breast screening will be handled while you are feeding, because the usual schedule may need adjusting. Your breast doctor and your obstetrician can plan this together.
When should we tell our child about the gene?
Gradually, in words that fit their age. Many families mention it simply as part of family health history, then add detail as the child grows. By the time testing becomes relevant, it should not arrive as a shock.
We already have children. Did we do something wrong?
No. Most carriers learn about their fault after their children are born. Your children now have information that can protect them. A counsellor can help you plan when to tell them and when testing might be offered.
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
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What are the different ways a genetic condition can be inherited?
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What is genetic counseling?
- National Cancer Institute — Cancer Genetics Risk Assessment and Counseling (PDQ)
- 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)
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
Your reproductive options explainedEvery path laid out side by sideDeciding not to test the pregnancyFor couples already pregnant and weighing it upFamily planning with a cancer geneWhere to start if you are just thinking about itCounselling for couples making this decisionWhat a joint appointment covers
Talk to us
Would you like to talk it through before trying for a baby?
A genetic counsellor can check whether your gene needs any extra steps and support whichever choice you make. One helpline serves every CION centre.