Amy Dowden has opened up about her hopes to become a mum.
The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer has had a worrying health journey in recent years, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. Following several months of treatment, Amy is now in recovery.
As she looks forward to returning to the Strictly floor this September, Amy has now reflected on her experience with fertility.
Yesterday, the 34-year-old took to her Instagram stories to invite her followers to submit questions for a Q&A.
During the session, Amy chose to address the question: “When are you going to be a mum?”
“After a cancer diagnosis, it is not easy, especially after chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can destroy your fertility, so in a woman, it can destroy your eggs. Sometimes, your ovaries might never start functioning again,” she stated in a video message.
“I have a hormone-fed cancer, so I’ve had to be put into menopause. A hormone-fed cancer can also risk, when becoming pregnant again, the chances of the cancer coming back,” Amy explained.
“My consultant said, ‘Don’t even think about [pregnancy] for two years afterwards, because the chances of recurrence are really high. We’ll discuss it after that,’” she recalled, adding that there is “never a guarantee” that her fertility will be unaffected after coming out of menopause.
“Obviously, I really want to be a mum one day. I would love the honour of being a mum, and I know Ben would be an amazing dad. There are other options, we’re lucky enough that we have five embryos,” Amy confirmed.
“I’ve got a whole another year to go before we even chat about it, so there’s your answer. I just hope it helps others. Also, to anyone else out there, I’ve been put on the spot a few times, ‘Oh Amy, when are you going to become a mum?’, when I’ve been around other people,” she detailed.
Recalling one incident where she felt “so uncomfortable and a little upset,” Amy added: “It was just a reminder of all the extras that cancer brought [...] I just want to remind people that you never know what someone is going through.”
