# Fertility and breastfeeding possible after cancer with care, experts say 2026-08-18T12:28:48+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Two years after surviving stage IV ovarian cancer, Baishali Bhattacharya gave birth to a healthy baby in 2024 and was able to breastfeed under medical supervision. She was operated on in 2020 and one ovary was removed. Her treating doctor, Arunava Roy of Manipal Hospital, Kolkata, called her pregnancy “precious, as it came after a lot of hardships.” Nearly two lakh new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in India each year, and younger women increasingly face decisions about fertility and breastfeeding post-treatment, The Hindu reports. Doctors say misconceptions abound: breastfeeding does not increase cancer recurrence risk, two international studies presented at the ESMO Congress in 2024 showed. Options such as embryo freezing or oocyte cryopreservation should be offered before treatment begins. Breast conservation surgery is now standard, and the unaffected breast usually compensates if radiotherapy damaged one side. Feeding from the treated breast may not be possible. Breastfeeding is not advised during endocrine therapy or chemotherapy. Monica Hooda, 37, of Rohtak, was initially told her breast pain was only due to breastfeeding before being diagnosed with cancer in February 2026. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Hindu frames its feature as an empowering medical explainer, led with a survivor’s success story and expert quotes that stress feasibility and bust myths. The piece is neutral-report in tone, but the structure, starting with one woman’s triumph, then systematically rebutting misconceptions, amounts to a soft advocacy for fertility and breastfeeding after cancer. It does not cite any government position or policy, so neither pro-government nor critical framing applies. The middle-ground reading: the medical consensus on safety is real, but individual outcomes vary widely, the second case (Monica Hooda) shows delayed diagnosis can still happen. Watch for whether the Indian Council of Medical Research incorporates the 2024 ESMO data into updated clinical guidelines. ## Coverage Coverage: 1 source, 1 neutral - thehindu.com (neutral report) Survivor-led positive framing, experts rebutting myths, no government angle This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Baishali Bhattacharya, breast cancer, ESMO, Manipal Hospital, ovarian cancer Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/fertility-and-breastfeeding-possible-after-cancer-with-care-experts-say/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/fertility-and-breastfeeding-possible-after-cancer-with-care-experts-say/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/