In this situation you may be advised to try for a pregnancy using donated embryos. The embryos are eggs that have been fertilised with sperm and then frozen.
The embryos are thawed and put into the woman’s womb. The woman will need to take hormones before the embryos are implanted and possibly during the pregnancy.
if you are unable to have a pregnancy yourself
Some women are not able to have a pregnancy because their womb has been removed by surgery. In this situation, surrogacy is an option. Surrogacy is where another woman, called the surrogate mother, becomes pregnant and gives birth but the baby is formed by fertilising their egg with your partner’s sperm. This means that your partner is the genetic father. Fertilisation takes place using the same technique as that for DI or IVF. The surrogate mother is the legal mother of the baby, but you and your partner can apply to the courts to have full parental legal responsibilities transferred to you so you are the baby’s legal parents.
if you can’t have sexual intercourse
Some people can’t have sexual intercourse because of physical changes caused by the cancer or its treatment. In this situation it may still be possible for the doctors to take your sperm or eggs and use them in ICSI or IVF treatment (as described on page 00). This can let you have your own biological children. Where this is not possible, you may like to think about using donated sperm, eggs or embryos or surrogacy.
