Breast cancer survivor, 30, who now needs her womb removed faces a race against time to conceive

A breast cancer survivor is racing against the clock to have a baby with her husband, before it’s too late.

Doctors are keen to give Amy Stavers, 30, from County Durham, a full hysterectomy to protect her from cancer after diagnosing her with mucinous metaplasia (pre-cancerous change) of the endometrium, the tissue that lines her womb.

But they have allowed a one-year delay for her to try and conceive.

Amy and her husband Kieran Stavers, 24, have been trying for a baby for two-and-a-half years already, since tying the knot in May 2021.

Now they are asking their loved ones and strangers to pay for IVF before they run out of time.

This comes after she was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 25, before having chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a double mastectomy.

Amy has her first baby aged 17 before her first diagnosis, and her son Dylan is now 13. Because she is a mother already, she is not entitled to a free round of IVF.

She says: ‘It doesn’t seem fair that we aren’t entitled to a free round when these pre-cancerous changes are due to the hormone therapy cancer drug I was taking, Tamoxifen.

‘I was on Tamoxifen for 18 months and I was supposed to stay on it for 10 years, but I decided to come off it because it caused thickness and changes in my womb, which has now led to this upsetting news.

‘Kieran and I have one year to conceive, and our only option is through IVF. We have been trying for a baby naturally since 2021 with no luck, so the clock is ticking.

‘All of my blood tests and scans show I’m fertile, just that I have one blocked tube from cancer treatment. IVF feels like the only option we have now.’

Amy is currently unemployed because of her health issues and Kieran cares for her full-time. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2019 after finding a lump in her left breast.

She says: ‘After falling pregnant at 17, I went to the GP to discuss contraception. The GP ruled out the Pill because of my family history of stroke and heart attacks and suggested the implant instead.’

The contraceptive implant is a medical device in the form of a small flexible plastic rod that releases progestogen into the bloodstream to prevent pregnancy.

‘Three years after having the implant, I had it removed and replaced as required. Then I found a lump in my left breast, but my doctor assured me it was just a cyst.

‘Years later, I discovered a lump the size of a golf ball in the same breast. I was told I was so young it would be nothing. But biopsies confirmed it was breast cancer.’

Amy needed her implant removed immediately.

‘I had it taken out of my left arm, the same side my cancer was detected,’ she says. ‘A doctor told me the hormones could be feeding the cancer and how contraceptive hormones in the Pill and implant may increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

‘I’m convinced the disease had been growing inside me since I’d first had the implant.’

Amy had a lumpectomy and lymph nodes removed. The lump measured 46mm and tested HER2 positive.

‘It meant the tumour contained oestrogen and other hormones,’ she says. ‘The new development changed my diagnosis to stage 3+ cancer and I needed a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.’

Last year, Amy requested another mastectomy to remove her other breast, this time as a preventative measure. She had the surgery in January 2023.

Now her consultant is keen for her to have a full hysterectomy because of the pre-cancerous change in her womb lining.

Amy says: ‘This month, my consultant instantly recommended a hysterectomy with full ovary removal – because of the breast cancer risk – which would put me straight into surgical menopause.

‘Since that day I have cried and cried, as all we want is to start a family. It has become mine and Kieran’s main focus and it feels like this is our last chance.’

A safety net of one year has been agreed for the couple to try and conceive before a full hysterectomy, under the watchful eye of scans every six months (hysteroscopies), performed under general anaesthetic.

‘My consultant knows that our aim is to have a child, so she’s agreed a little bit of leeway to try.

‘Not only do we have limited time, but our downfall is the cost for IVF, because it’s not available to us on the NHS due to me having a child from a previous relationship. That’s why we’ve set up our JustGiving page.

‘We’re asking for donations of as little as £1 to help towards our IVF journey and everything given is greatly appreciated. Kieran and I both want this so much and hate having to ask, but it seems like the only route due to both cost and time against us. I’m hoping and praying we can do it.

‘When I was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, going through various treatment regimes and surgery caused significant physical and mental changes. Now to be at risk of having cancer again is just heartbreaking.’

Amy and Kieran are hoping to raise £5,000 via their JustGiving page. 

‘It feels like cancer is taking everything from me. I just wish we would conceive naturally.

‘IVF would be the quickest and safest way, but it’s so expensive. It’s impossible to come up with that type of money.

‘I feel so sad when I see pregnant women as I long to be pregnant too. We are desperate. This really is our only hope.’

Amy and Kieran’s JustGiving page can be found here.