As India witnesses a growing number of cancer diagnoses among women in their prime reproductive years, safeguarding fertility has become a critical yet often overlooked aspect of cancer care. Breast cancer now the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Indian women is increasingly affecting those between ages 25 and 40, a time when many are shaping their futures, building careers, planning marriages, or dreaming of motherhood.
For these young women, the shock of a cancer diagnosis is compounded by the devastating realisation that chemotherapy, radiation, or targeted therapies may permanently diminish their ovarian reserve. In a medical era where cancer survival rates are steadily improving, the definition of survivorship has evolved: it is no longer just about defeating the disease, but also about preserving the possibility of a meaningful life after treatment including the chance to conceive.
Fertility preservation, therefore, is not an optional add-on but a vital component of holistic oncology care. Every woman diagnosed with cancer deserves to be informed about her reproductive options before treatment begins, and every clinician involved in her journey must recognise fertility protection as essential to comprehensive, patient-centred cancer management.