Fox TV Reporter Erin Andrews, 47, Regrets Not Freezing Eggs Early In Life, Noting Her Cervical Cancer Diagnosis Affected Fertility – Keeping the Hope of Parenthood Alive After Cancer

Nurse Practitioner Barbara Dehn explained in a previous SurvivorNet interview, “Many women think that a Pap smear checks for ovarian cancer, but it doesn’t. Pap smears detect only cervical cancer, not all gynecologic cancers.”

She added, “In fact, there is no test that detects ovarian cancer in its earliest stages, which is why two-thirds to three-quarters of women are diagnosed at a later stage, when the disease has spread to nearby tissues and organs.”

 

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“Young girls who are interested in my profession always ask me, ‘What would you recommend?’” Andrews told Today.com.

“I’m like, ‘Freeze your eggs. Freeze your eggs so you don’t have to worry about it.’”

Cervical cancer, which begins in the cells lining the cervix, often develops slowly and silently. While symptoms like vaginal bleeding or pelvic pain are common, Andrews had none—making her diagnosis during routine screening all the more unexpected.

Cervical cancer treatments may include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

Cancer treatment can significantly impact fertility for both men and women, and Andrews was already navigating reproductive challenges by her mid-30s. She began freezing her eggs at age 35, a decision that would later prove vital.

Various cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, can affect both men’s and women’s fertility. IVF is among several options cancer patients can turn to if they have hopes of parenthood.

“If I had known about freezing eggs and doing IVF in my 20s, I would have done it,” she said.
“But it wasn’t talked about as much as it is now, and I think that’s why I’m so open and honest about it.”

 

To treat her cancer, Andrews had two surgeries, preceded by in vitro fertilization (IVF) to preserve her fertility.

In an essay posted to Bulletin and titled “My seventh time doing IVF, I am not keeping it a secret anymore,” Andrews bravely outlines the struggles she’s faced with fertility, as she and her husband, NHL player Jarret Stoll, try to conceive.

In July 2023, Andrews and her husband welcomed their son, Mack, via surrogate—a joyful milestone shaped by foresight, resilience, and advocacy.

Now, she’s urging other women—especially those in high-pressure careers—to take control of their reproductive health early.

IVF’s Role In Family Planning For Cancer Patients

Fertility struggles are a genuine concern among cancer patients, as certain cancer treatments can cause infertility. Fortunately, in many cases, efforts can be made before beginning treatment to help preserve fertility.

Even without a diagnosis, many couples, at one point or another, experience infertility. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says within the U.S., “about one in five” married women between the ages of 15 to 49 with no prior births are unable to get pregnant after trying for a year. Additionally, “one in four” of women in this group struggle to get pregnant or carry the pregnancy to term.

WATCH: How does chemotherapy affect fertility?

Infertility can be a side effect of cancer treatment due to how it impacts the body. Various cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, can affect both men’s and women’s fertility. Before undergoing cancer treatment, patients should speak to their doctors about fertility preservation if they wish to have a family in the future.

Patients should also recognize that infertility is a problem that affects so many people hoping to be parents, and nothing to be ashamed of.

The American Psychological Association said in its Monitor on Psychology Magazine, “A diagnosis of infertility — the inability to get pregnant after a year or more of trying — can lead to depression, anxiety, and other psychological problems, trigger feelings of shame and failure to live up to traditional gender expectations and strain relationships.”

Among men, infertility can “cut into a man’s feelings of masculinity” and “can lead to issues of shame and embarrassment,” psychologist William D. Petok told the outlet.

Cancer’s Impact on Male Fertility

Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can damage sperm in men, and hormone therapy can decrease sperm production, according to the National Cancer Institute. Radiation treatment can also lead to lower sperm count and testosterone levels, impacting fertility.

Possible side effects of cancer treatment should be discussed with your doctor before starting treatment. Men may have the option to store their sperm in a sperm bank before treatment to preserve their fertility.

RELATED: Don’t Be Ashamed – The VA Has Treatment To Help Deal With Incontinence After Prostate Cancer Surgery

This sperm can then be used later as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

WATCH: Dr. Terri Woodard explains fertility preservation options patients have when going through cancer treatment.

Cancer Treatment’s Impact on Fertility in Women

Just as cancer treatment can impact men’s fertility, women may also be affected. Some types of chemotherapy can destroy eggs in your ovaries. This can make it impossible or difficult to get pregnant later. Whether or not chemotherapy makes you infertile depends on the type of drug and your age since your egg supply decreases with age.

“The risk is greater the older you are,” reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Jaime Knopman told SurvivorNet.

“If you’re 39 and you get chemo that’s toxic to the ovaries, it’s most likely to make you menopausal. But, if you’re 29, your ovaries may recover because they have a higher baseline supply,” Dr. Knopman continued.

Radiation to the pelvis can also destroy eggs. It can damage the uterus, too.

Surgery to your ovaries or uterus can hurt fertility as well.

Meanwhile, endocrine or hormone therapy may block or suppress essential fertility hormones and may prevent a woman from getting pregnant. This infertility may be temporary or permanent, depending on the type and length of treatment.

If you are having a treatment that includes infertility as a possible side effect, your doctor won’t be able to tell you for sure whether you will be impacted. That’s why you should discuss your options for fertility preservation before starting treatment.

Research shows that women who have fertility preserved before breast cancer treatment are more than twice as likely to give birth after treatment than those who don’t take fertility-preserving measures.

Most women who preserve their fertility before cancer treatment do so by freezing their eggs or embryos.

After you finish your cancer treatment, a doctor who specializes in reproductive medicine can implant one or more embryos in your uterus or the uterus of a surrogate with the hope that it will result in pregnancy.

If you freeze eggs only before treatment, a fertility specialist can use sperm and your eggs to create embryos in vitro and transfer them to your uterus or a surrogate later on.

When freezing eggs or embryos is not an option, doctors may try these approaches:

• Ovarian tissue freezing is an experimental approach for girls who haven’t yet reached puberty and don’t have mature eggs or for women who must begin treatment right away and don’t have time to harvest eggs.
• Ovarian suppression prevents the eggs from maturing so they cannot be damaged during treatment.
• Ovarian transposition, for women getting radiation to the pelvis, moves the ovaries out of the line of treatment.

In addition to preserving eggs or embryos, research has shown that women with early-stage hormone-receptor (HR) positive breast cancer were able to safely pause endocrine therapy (ET) to try to get pregnant, and they did not have worse short-term recurrence rates than people who did not stop endocrine treatment.

Navigating a Cervical Cancer Diagnosis

Cervical cancer forms in the cells of the cervix, the lower, narrow end of the uterus (womb), which connects the uterus to the vagina, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

“Cervical cancer usually develops slowly over time. Before cancer appears in the cervix, the cells of the cervix go through changes known as dysplasia, in which abnormal cells begin to appear in the cervical tissue,” the NCI explains.

“Over time, if not destroyed or removed, the abnormal cells may become cancer cells and start to grow and spread more deeply into the cervix and surrounding areas.”

While symptoms tend to be difficult to detect during cervical cancer’s early stages, some signs can still indicate something is amiss and needs a closer look.

The NCI explains that symptoms of early-stage cervical cancer may include:

• vaginal bleeding after sex
• vaginal bleeding after menopause
• vaginal bleeding between periods or periods that are heavier or longer than normal
• vaginal discharge that is watery and has a strong odor or that contains blood
• pelvic pain or pain during sex

Tools to Help Cervical Cancer Prevention

As noted, a pap smear is an option to detect cervical cancer early. During the test, a doctor will collect a sample of cells from your cervix (using a small brush or spatula). The cells are then examined under a microscope for abnormalities, including cancer and changes that could indicate pre-cancer.

The added value of pap smears is that symptoms of cervical cancer might show up until the disease is at stage 3 or 4, and more challenging to treat. This critical procedure helps doctors catch signs of the disease early. Furthermore, pap smears can lead to broader and more effective treatment options.

One of the leading causes of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV).

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is “a group of more than 200 related viruses, some of which are spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex,” the National Cancer Institute says. HPV infection is linked to multiple cancers, and the majority of sexually active people will get the disease at some point in their lives.

A study presented during last year’s American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2023 annual meeting found that public awareness of the link between HPV and cervical cancer was on the decline.

“The important thing to know about HPV is that there are many different strains, and only a couple of them tend to be more cancer-inducing,” Dr. Allen Ho, a head and neck surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, told SurvivorNet.

“Probably less than 1% of the population who get infected happen to have the cancer-causing virus that somehow their immune system fails to clear, and over 15 to 20 years [it] develops from a viral infection into a tumor, and cancer,” Dr. Ho added.

Protecting Against HPV

The HPV vaccine is recommended to protect against HPV and, therefore, HPV-related cancers.

Gardasil 9 is an HPV vaccine that offers protection against “nine HPV types: the two low-risk HPV types that cause most genital warts, plus seven high-risk HPV types that cause most HPV-related cancer,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

The vaccine creates an immune response to HPV 16, the primary cause of 92% of head and neck cancers. Once children are vaccinated, they cannot be infected with that strain. For parents, the HPV vaccine enables them to protect their children from developing cancer in the future.

“The key with the vaccine is that you receive it before you have sexual encounters,” says Dr. Geiger. “So that’s why these vaccines are approved for young children … ages 9, 10, 11 years old, up to age 26.”

The HPV vaccine is recommended for all male and female preteens 11 to 12 years old in two doses given between six and 12 months, according to the CDC.

The series of shots can also start as young as nine.

The CDC also notes that teens and young adults through age 26 who didn’t start or finish the HPV vaccine series also need the vaccine.

Additionally, people with weakened immune systems or teens and young adults between 15 and 26 who started the series should get three doses instead of two.

Although adults up to 45 can still receive the vaccine, it’s not recommended for everyone older than 26. Still, a person older than 26 could choose to get vaccinated after talking to their doctor about possible benefits, even though it is less effective in this age range, as more people have already been exposed to HPV by this point.

WATCH: Should children get the HPV Vaccine?

Vaccine hesitancy can impede people from getting the vaccine. The concern may come from parents who may feel the vaccine paves the way for early sexual activity. For this reason, some health practitioners educate the public differently about the vaccine.

“I think rebranding the vaccine as a cancer vaccine, rather than an STD vaccine, is critically important,” says Dr. Ted Teknos, a head and neck cancer surgeon and scientific director of University Hospital’s Seidman Cancer Center.

Dr. Teknos believes concerted efforts to “change the mindset around the vaccine” can make a difference.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

If you’re wondering how your cancer treatment may affect your fertility and what options are available to you, the National Cancer Institute recommends asking your doctor these questions:

• Could my treatment lead to infertility?
• Are there other recommended cancer treatments that might not cause fertility problems?
• Which fertility preservation options would you advise for me?
• What fertility preservation options are available at this hospital? At a fertility clinic?
• Would you recommend a fertility specialist (such as a reproductive endocrinologist) I could talk with to learn more?
• What are the chances that my fertility will return after treatment?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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