Kamilla Linder, 34, a self-employed language teacher in Santa Cruz, Calif., was able to freeze her eggs in October 2023, with financial help from several nonprofits. But her treatment will likely include five to 10 years of the estrogen-blocking medication tamoxifen, and Ms. Linder, who is currently single, worries about when and how she will turn those eggs into embryos.
While a growing body of research suggests it’s safe to take a break from such hormone therapies to get pregnant, she can’t shake the feeling that something has been taken from her.
“I have this fear that I will not have children at all,” she said.
This feeling has become more common since the Alabama Supreme Court decision in late February, said Allie Brumel, a co-founder of a nonprofit for people impacted by breast and gynecological cancers called The Breasties. She has heard from many members of the community concerned about what it means for their own frozen eggs and embryos.
“Those eggs on ice are my only option to have a biological child,” said Lindsey Baker, 39, a nonprofit consultant in Tucson, Ariz., who opted to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2022 after finishing active treatment for stage 2 breast cancer. “Thinking about the ramifications of politics taking that away from me, when I’ve already lost so much to cancer in my 30s, is heartbreaking.”
Taking Back Some Control
When Trish Michelle, 45, of Queens, N.Y., was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2016, “no one, not once, brought up fertility,” she said. Ms. Michelle, who was 37 and already a mother to two teenagers, made the quick decision not to pursue it, a choice she often regrets. “At that point, you’re fighting for your life, you have to do a quick triage on what’s most important.”
