BABY STEPS

nd then there’s the fertility issue. For couples who aren’t finished having children, or who haven’t started, for that matter, the diagnosis can be particularly devastating. After Joanna was diagnosed, she read that many women have fertility issues follow

Arecurrence, like tamoxifen, can cause birth defects if a woman gets pregnant while she’s taking it. Since these endocrine treatments are often recommended for five to 10 years after treatment, women can miss out on most of their reproductive years. “On top of all the treatment, you feel like your hopes and dreams are kind of in limbo,” says Joanna. She spoke with her doctor about her concerns and asked to see a fertility specialist so she could freeze embryos before her treatment began.

Three and a half years into her fiveyear course of tamoxifen, she spoke to her oncologist about temporarily coming off the drug to try to have a baby. She was supportive, a fact Joanna is grateful for, as she says many doctors rush to treatment. “I always knew I wanted a family. Learning that I might not be able to have children was harder to process than the cancer diagnosis,” says Joanna.