Fertility, Cancer, and Me

Oh, Fertility.

I’ve simultaneously wanted to write about this from the beginning—and have been avoiding it. Fertility has been one of the heaviest and most difficult aspects of this lymphoma journey.

Once I arrived at the Anschutz Center in Denver, the BMT team confirmed my diagnosis. Within two days, I was set to begin an aggressive chemotherapy regimen. Ever since I’d been in the hospital in Montana, when lymphoma and chemo were first mentioned, the question of how this would affect my fertility hovered constantly in my mind. But I was too scared to ask.

I’m 33—both young and not-so-young when it comes to fertility. I didn’t fully understand the significance of my fertility—not just for having children, but also for immunity, bone health, and mental wellbeing—until my late twenties. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to educate myself and others, doing everything I could to support my fertility through diet and lifestyle. It was only recently that I potentially considered the idea that I wanted to become a mother one day.

So when a fertility specialist came to my bedside before chemo began and told me my regimen carried a high risk of infertility, it was heart-wrenching. When she explained that egg retrieval was the typical option in these cases—but I didn’t have two weeks to spare—it was impossible to hold back tears.

Here’s what I was facing: chemo kills fast-growing cells, including the eggs in your ovaries. That meant I would likely experience perimenopause either way. I could let that happen naturally, or I could take Lupron shots to shut down my reproductive system in hopes of protecting it and reactivating it after treatment. She also recommended an IUD for contraception, as pregnancy during chemo is dangerous. But I shared my previous negative experiences with both the Skyla and copper IUDs.

Ultimately, we decided on Lupron shots and an oral contraceptive called Aygestin. This placed me in a “significant risk” category for infertility—a phrase that sounds more alarming than the reality. It’s actually the middle of three categories. “Moderate” would be a kinder, more accurate term.

While I’m not exactly thrilled to be back on birth control after working so hard to bring my body back into hormonal balance, I know I made the best decision for myself. I’m armed with knowledge and surrounded by resources that will support me when I’m ready to focus on restoring my fertility.

In the meantime, I’m prioritizing a nourishing, hormone-supportive diet—plenty of animal-based protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. I’ve kept Wellbel in my supplement routine, not only to support hair growth but also to replenish B vitamins depleted by birth control. I’m also focusing on antioxidants and polyphenols with high-quality Oliveda olive oil, I66 The Beauty Fountain collagen, and I01 ORAC and camu camu olive leaf concentrate. I believe this isn’t just laying a strong foundation for my fertility journey—it’s also contributing to my excellent lab results throughout treatment.

I’ll continue with follow-up care from the fertility team at UC Denver starting three months post-treatment, although they won’t run a full hormone panel for about a year. I know I have a long road ahead in healing my hormonal health, but I’m committed—and motivated—to do the work.