Female

Many structures of the body are involved in conceiving a child. These include the ovary, fallopian tubes, uterus and glands in the brain that secrete hormones.

When a woman is born, her ovaries contain between one and two million follicles. Each follicle contains a single immature egg (oocyte). During a woman’s lifetime, these follicles break down and decline in number. At puberty, hormones from the brain stimulate the monthly menstrual cycle to begin.

Cancer treatments can prematurely reduce the amount of healthy eggs and follicles in your ovaries. This damage can cause you to stop menstruating and even go into premature menopause. Each patient can be affected differently based on age at diagnosis, treatments received and personal fertility. Fertility options will be different for each patient.