Cancer of the uterus is often diagnosed early, before it has spread, and can be treated surgically. In many cases, surgery will be the only treatment needed. If cancer has spread beyond the uterus, radiation therapy, hormone therapy or chemotherapy may also be used.
Learn more about:
- How cancer treatment affects fertility
- Making treatment decisions
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Hormone treatment
- New drug treatments
How cancer treatment affects fertility
If you have not yet been through menopause, having a hysterectomy or radiation therapy for uterine cancer will mean you won’t be able to become pregnant. If having children is important to you, discuss the options with your doctor before starting treatment and ask to see a fertility specialist.
A small number of women with early-stage, low-grade uterine cancer choose to wait until after they have had children to have a hysterectomy. These women are offered hormone therapy instead. This is not standard treatment and they need to be monitored closely.
For more on this, see Fertility and Cancer.
I’ve become involved as a volunteer offering telephone peer support with Cancer Council’s Cancer Connect. I didn’t connect with any services when I was diagnosed, and I now realise how helpful it would have been to speak to people in similar situations.
Key resource
Download a PDF booklet on this topic.
More resources
A/Prof Jim Nicklin, Director, Gynaecological Oncology, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and Associate Professor Gynaecologic Oncology, The University of Queensland, QLD; Dr Robyn Cheuk, Senior Radiation Oncologist, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Prof Michael Friedlander, Medical Oncologist, The Prince of Wales Hospital and Conjoint Professor of Medicine, The University of NSW, NSW; Kim Hobbs, Clinical Specialist Social Worker, Gynaecological Cancer, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Adele Hudson, Statewide Clinical Nurse Consultant, Gynaecological Oncology Service, Royal Hobart Hospital, TAS; Dr Anthony Richards, Gynaecological Oncologist, The Royal Women’s Hospital and Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital, VIC; Georgina Richter, Gynaecological Oncology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Deb Roffe, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA.
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