Living with cervical cancer
Unfortunately, after most treatment for cervical cancer, you won't be able to get pregnant. This is because you may have had:
surgery to remove your womb (a radical hysterectomy)
radiotherapy as part of your treatment that affects the womb. It may also stop your ovaries from working
Finding out you may no longer get pregnant can be very distressing. Your doctor and specialist nurse will help support you.
Find out about treatment for cervical cancer
If you have early cervical cancer, it may be possible to have surgery to remove the cancer but leave your womb in place. This way, you might be able to become pregnant in the future.
Your doctor will take into account your wishes to become pregnant when deciding on treatment.
Your surgeon can remove areas of cervical tissue through:
a cone biopsy
LLETZ (large loop excision of the transformation zone)
You might have these treatments for very early stage cervical cancer (stage 1A1).
There is a small increase in the risk of having the baby early (premature birth). A baby may also have a low birth weight after these treatments. This can depend on the amount of cervical tissue that is taken away.
Read about having a LLETZ or cone biopsy
Another option for early cervical cancer (small stage 1 cancer) is a radical trachelectomy. Your doctor (gynaecological oncologist) removes:
most of the cervix
the upper part of the vagina
They put a permanent stitch around the internal opening of the cervix to hold it closed.
Babies have been born safely to women who have had this type of operation. But, there is a risk of miscarriage or premature birth. The babies have to be born by caesarean section due to the permanent stitch.
Read about having a radical trachelectomy
Having radiotherapy to treat cervical cancer will affect the womb. This means it is not possible to have children afterwards.
Radiotherapy and some chemotherapy drugs can also affect the ovaries. This can bring on early menopause.
Occasionally, it’s possible to move the ovaries out of the treatment area before radiotherapy begins. This will try to avoid an early menopause. It is done by keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery.
Your eggs or some ovarian tissue can be removed and frozen before starting treatment. The eggs could then be used for fertility treatment and surrogate pregnancy afterwards.
Read more about fertility after radiotherapy
Losing fertility can be very difficult to cope with if you hope to become pregnant in the future. Even if you were not planning to have any children, the loss of your fertility can be quite a shock. It is the end of a particular phase of your life. You have all the feelings that come with a natural change of life (menopause). On top of that, you have to cope with a diagnosis of cancer.
If you are worried about your fertility, talk to your specialist cancer doctor. They can refer you to a fertility specialist. They can talk about what options might be available, such as egg freezing.
Read about coping with losing your fertilty
It may help you to share your worries or sense of loss with other women who have been through similar experiences. You may be able to find other women who feel as you do through your local cancer support group or an online forum.
Go to Cancer Research UK's online forum, Cancer Chat
If you need more help, talk to your GP, nurse or specialist about counselling.
Find out about counselling organisations
Last reviewed: 15 Nov 2023
Next review due: 15 Nov 2026
The emotional impact of infertility can be very overwhelming. Get information and support to help you cope.
Cervical cancer treatment may affect your sex life and relationships. But there is support available and things you can do to help yourself.
Your treatment depends on several factors. These include what type of cervical cancer you have, how big it is, whether it has spread (the stage) and the grade. It also depends on your general health.
The stage of a cancer tells you about its size and whether it has spread. The type means the type of cell the cancer started from. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
There are support organisations and resources available for people living with cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix grow uncontrollably and eventually form a growth (tumour).
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