Fertility and cervical cancer

Unfortunately, after most treatment for cervical cancer, you won't be able to get pregnant. This is because you may have:

• surgery to remove your womb (a radical hysterectomy)
• radiotherapy as part of your treatment that affects the womb. It may also stop your ovaries from working

Finding out you may no longer get pregnant can be very distressing. Your doctor and specialist nurse will help support you. 

Surgery for early cervical cancer

If you have early cervical cancer, it may be possible to have surgery to remove the cancer but leave your womb in place. This way, you might be able to become pregnant in the future.

Your doctor will take into account your wishes to become pregnant when deciding on treatment.

Cone biopsy or LLETZ

Your surgeon can remove areas of cervical tissue through:

• a cone biopsy
• LLETZ (large loop excision of the transformation zone)

You might have these treatments for very early stage cervical cancer (stage 1A1).

There is a small increase in the risk of having the baby early (premature birth). A baby may also have a low birth weight after these treatments. This can depend on the amount of cervical tissue that is taken away.

Radical Trachelectomy

Another option for early cervical cancer (small stage 1 cancer) is a radical trachelectomy. Your doctor (gynaecological oncologist) removes:

• most of the cervix
• the upper part of the vagina

They put a permanent stitch around the internal opening of the cervix to hold it closed.

Babies have been born safely to women who have had this type of operation. But, there is a risk of miscarriage or premature birth. The babies have to be born by caesarean section due to the permanent stitch.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy

Having radiotherapy to treat cervical cancer will affect the womb. This means it is not possible to have children afterwards.

Radiotherapy and some chemotherapy drugs can also affect the ovaries. This can bring on early menopause. 

Occasionally, it’s possible to move the ovaries out of the treatment area before radiotherapy begins. This will try to avoid an early menopause. It is done by keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery.

Your eggs or some ovarian tissue can be removed and frozen before starting treatment. The eggs could then be used for fertility treatment and surrogate pregnancy afterwards.

Losing your fertility

Losing fertility can be very difficult to cope with if you hope to become pregnant in the future. Even if you were not planning to have any children, the loss of your fertility can be quite a shock. It is the end of a particular phase of your life. You have all the feelings that come with a natural change of life (menopause). On top of that, you have to cope with a diagnosis of cancer.

If you are worried about your fertility, talk to your specialist cancer doctor. They can refer you to a fertility specialist. They can talk about what options might be available, such as egg freezing.

Finding support

It may help you to share your worries or sense of loss with other women who have been through similar experiences. You may be able to find other women who feel as you do through your local cancer support group or an online forum.

If you need more help, talk to your GP, nurse or specialist about counselling.