October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we’re diving into an aspect of breast cancer that’s frequently overlooked. The treatments for cancer (such as chemotherapy, radiation, and other drugs) can put fertility at risk for women in reproductive age.

One drug in particular, Tamoxifen, is taken for a number of years and helps treat and prevent breast cancer from developing. You shouldn’t try to conceive while taking Tamoxifen.

However, there’s a solution; some can take a “drug holiday” or break from medication. Typically, the break can last up to a year, meaning you shouldn’t try to conceive until a few months after using the drug. That also means there’s only a short window for someone to conceive.

People often consider fertility preservation, or egg/embryo freezing, because of the risks and time constraints while dealing with cancer. Just in case you don’t have a healthy pregnancy, fertility preservation is often seen as a safety net so you can move forward with an embryo transfer. It’s an important option to have, but unfortunately, not everyone knows about this until it’s too late.

Today’s guests, Emily Rich and Ian Schwartz, dive into what it was like for Emily to be diagnosed with breast cancer, their journey with fertility preservation, and how their fertility benefit helped them through this journey.

Guests: Emily Rich, VP of Strategic Planning and Operations at UJA and Progyny Member, and Ian Schwartz, VP Tailgate and AE Men’s Graphics at American Eagle Outfitters.

Host: Lissa Kline, VP of Member and Provider Services at Progyny.

For more information visit Progyny’s Podcast page and Progyny’s Education page for more resources about Oncofertility.

Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at thisisinfertility@progyny.com