One of the most common questions patients ask me: “What is my risk of cancer from IVF?”
The link below is a nice summary of a study out of the National Cancer Institute which showed no difference in women’s chances of being diagnosed with breast or endometrial (uterine) cancer based on whether they were treated with IVF.
To read more details, click here:
http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/17/16996627-ivf-does-not-boost-cancer-risk-study-finds?lite
What you should know is this: a blog post does not replace advice from your personal physician. So please talk to your doctor about your family history and risk of cancer so you go into treatment with all the information you need to make the safest decisions for you.
The problem is that infertility is very common. Breast cancer is very common. When a celebrity says, ” IVF caused my breast cancer”, it causes panic and alarm and people not surprisingly automatically say that fertility treatment causes cancer.
Gentle reminder that this information absolutely does not replace advice from your own doctor after she reviews your risk factors for cancer prior to starting fertility treatment.
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