Women of childbearing age who have been treated for with breast cancer need not wait the recommended two years before attempting to conceive, an Australian report says. Researchers from the University of Western Australia looked at 123 breast cancer patients and found that women who conceived within two years of their treatment instead had better survival rates.

To investigate the validity of the two-year conception abstinence advice, Dr. Angela Ives and colleagues identified 123 women ages 15 to 44 who were diagnosed with breast cancer and had at least one pregnancy after their diagnosis. Sixty-two women conceived within two years of their diagnosis -- 29 of them had an abortion, 27 had a live birth, and six miscarried.

Researchers found that women who became pregnant within two years of treatment had improved overall survival rates compared with those who didn't. But the results were still stronger among women who waited two years after treatment, they report in the British Medical Journal.

"This study does not support the current medical advice given to pre-menopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer, to wait two years before attempting to conceive", the researchers said.

But they caution that longer wait is recommendable for women "who are receiving treatment or have systemic disease at diagnosis."

"Women with localized disease, early conception, six months after completing their treatment, is unlikely to reduce survival," they conclude.