Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Your options for having children when you carry a gene fault | CION Cancer Clinics
If you carry a cancer gene fault, you can still have children, and you have several ways to go about it. Some couples conceive naturally and accept the chance of passing the fault on. Others test a pregnancy, test embryos through IVF, use a donor or adopt. This page sets out each route plainly, so you can walk into a counselling appointment knowing what to ask. 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
- What are my options if I carry a cancer gene fault and want children?
- What are the routes to a family, one by one?
- How do couples usually work through this?
- The terms that come up, in plain language
- Testing embryos or testing a pregnancy
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things couples tell us, and what is actually true
- Common questions about reproductive options for carriers
The short answer
What are my options if I carry a cancer gene fault and want children?
You have more choices than most people are told. You can have children naturally and accept the chance of passing the fault on, test a pregnancy, test embryos through IVF, use donor eggs or sperm, or adopt. None of these is right for everyone, and many carriers choose the first.
What the chance actually is
Most cancer gene faults are dominant, meaning one copy is enough to raise risk. Each child of a carrier has a one in two chance of inheriting it, and the same chance of not inheriting it. That chance is set afresh for every pregnancy. A child who does not inherit the fault cannot pass it on.
What inheriting the fault means for a child
A child who inherits the fault is not born with cancer. For most of these genes, risk rises in adult life, and screening and prevention are offered then. By the time your child is grown, those options may well have improved. That is why many couples feel less urgency than they first expected once the counsellor has explained it.
The choice belongs to you as a couple. A counsellor explains the options. They do not decide for you.The main routes
What are the routes to a family, one by one?
These are the options couples usually discuss with a genetic counsellor. Each has its own page if you want the detail.
Natural conception
No procedures and no extra cost. Your child may or may not inherit the fault, and can choose to be tested as an adult. Many carriers take this route, and it is a fully legitimate choice.
Testing the pregnancy
A sample from the placenta, or from the fluid around the baby, is taken early in pregnancy and tested for the family fault. It carries a small risk of miscarriage. Couples need to think beforehand about what they would do with the result.
Testing embryos through IVF
Embryos are made in a laboratory, tested for the fault, and one without it is placed in the womb. This avoids decisions about an ongoing pregnancy, but involves hormone injections, egg collection and a real cost.
Worth knowing
- Offered at some fertility centres in Hyderabad
- More than one round is often needed
- Regulated under India's assisted reproduction law
Donor eggs or sperm, or adoption
Eggs or sperm from a donor who does not carry the fault remove the chance of passing it on through that parent. Adoption is another way to a family. Both involve legal steps and feelings of their own, and both deserve a proper conversation.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
How do couples usually work through this?
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Confirm the fault and its gene
Make sure the result is a confirmed pathogenic variant, meaning a fault known to break the gene. A variant of uncertain significance is not used for embryo or pregnancy testing.
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Meet a genetic counsellor together
Both partners come. The counsellor explains the gene, what it could mean for a child and every option, without steering you towards any one of them.
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Check the partner's side
For a few genes it matters whether the partner carries a fault in the same gene. This is more likely when partners are related by blood, which is common in some South Indian communities.
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Take time to decide
There is no deadline unless age or treatment sets one. Many couples take several weeks, talk to family and come back with more questions.
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Plan the chosen route
If you choose testing, the counsellor links you with a fertility centre or fetal medicine unit, and checks that the laboratory can test for your family's exact fault first.
Words you may hear
The terms that come up, in plain language
- Dominant
- A fault where one copy is enough to raise risk. Most cancer gene faults behave this way.
- Pathogenic variant
- A change in a gene known to break it. This is what testing an embryo or a pregnancy looks for.
- PGT-M
- Preimplantation genetic testing for a single-gene condition. Embryos made through IVF are tested before one is transferred.
- CVS
- Chorionic villus sampling. A small sample of the placenta is taken early in pregnancy for testing.
- Amniocentesis
- A little of the fluid around the baby is drawn off with a fine needle, somewhat later in pregnancy than CVS.
- Consanguinity
- A marriage between blood relatives, such as cousins. It raises the chance that both partners carry a fault in the same gene.
Side by side
Testing embryos or testing a pregnancy
Testing embryos
Testing a pregnancy
Needs IVF, even if you are fertile
Follows a natural conception
Tested before a pregnancy begins
Tested once a pregnancy is under way
Higher cost, sometimes several rounds
Lower cost, one procedure
No decision about an ongoing pregnancy
A result may raise a very hard decision
No procedure on the pregnancy itself
A small risk of miscarriage from the procedure
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which option is right. That depends on what matters most to you as a couple, your age and fertility, your finances, your faith and how you feel about the gene in your family. A genetic counsellor can help you weigh those, and will respect whatever you choose.
It cannot say what your variant means for a child
Genes differ in how much risk they carry and at what age it shows. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. That answer often shapes how strongly a couple feels about testing.
Who this does not apply to
If your result is a variant of uncertain significance, or your family history is strong but no fault was found, there is nothing specific to test embryos or a pregnancy for. These options also do not apply to faults found only inside a tumour, which cannot be inherited. That kind of testing is covered under targeted therapy.
Choosing to have children naturally is not a failure to act. It is one of the options, and many well-informed couples choose it.Commonly believed
Four things couples tell us, and what is actually true
"If I carry the fault, my child will have it too."
Each child has a one in two chance of inheriting it, and the same chance of not. Brothers and sisters can have different results, and a family can end up with every child a carrier, or none.
"Testing embryos means nothing can go wrong."
Embryo testing checks for one family fault only. It does not rule out other conditions, and IVF does not always lead to a pregnancy. It lowers one specific risk, which is what it is designed to do.
"Carriers should not have children."
No guideline says this. Most cancer gene faults raise risk in adult life, when screening and prevention are available. Carriers have children every day, and choosing to is a legitimate decision.
"These options are only available abroad."
Embryo testing and pregnancy testing for a known family fault are available in India, including in Hyderabad. They are regulated by Indian law, and a counsellor can refer you to a licensed centre.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about reproductive options for carriers
What is the chance my child inherits the fault?
For most cancer gene faults, each child has a one in two chance, set afresh with every pregnancy. A child who does not inherit it has the same risk as anyone else and cannot pass it on. A counsellor will confirm how your particular gene is inherited.
Is embryo testing legal in India?
Yes. Testing embryos for a known family genetic condition is permitted and regulated under India's assisted reproduction law. Choosing an embryo by sex is strictly prohibited. A licensed centre will explain the paperwork and consent involved before you start.
How much does embryo testing cost?
It combines IVF with the testing itself, so it is costly, and more than one round is sometimes needed. Prices vary widely between centres. Our page on PGT-M cost in India sets out what goes into the price and what to ask for in writing.
Can we test a pregnancy for a cancer gene fault?
It is technically possible once the family fault is known. Some centres are cautious about testing a pregnancy for faults that mainly raise risk in adult life. Ask before assuming it is offered, and think through what you would do with the result.
Should my partner be tested too?
For most genes, your partner's result does not change the chance of passing on your fault. For a few genes, if both partners carry a fault in the same gene, a child could have a rare, serious childhood condition. This is more likely if you are related by blood.
Does insurance or a government scheme cover this?
Fertility treatment and embryo testing are usually not covered by standard health insurance or by government schemes. Check with your insurer before starting. A counsellor can help you plan the costs honestly, so nothing comes as a surprise halfway through.
Can we use donor eggs or sperm?
Yes. Using a donor who does not carry the fault removes the chance of passing it on through that parent. Donors are screened and the process is regulated. It brings up feelings of its own, so many couples talk it through with a counsellor first.
Where do we start?
Book a genetic counselling appointment together. Bring the test report and a list of relatives with cancer and their ages at diagnosis. Call the CION helpline if you are unsure who to see, and someone will guide you to the right clinic.
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?
- 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
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
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
Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-M) explainedThe embryo testing route, in full detailPrenatal diagnosis for a known family variantWhat testing a pregnancy involves, and what it cannot doDonor eggs and donor sperm as an optionHow donation works, legally and emotionallyHaving children anyway: a legitimate choiceFor couples leaning towards natural conception
Talk to us
Want to talk through your options as a couple?
Tell us your gene result and what you are hoping for. We will arrange a counselling appointment where both of you can ask everything, with no pressure towards any one route. One helpline serves every CION centre.