Join Our Free Q&A - Sex, Fertility and Pregnancy
As part of the 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting, our next Q&A Event will be held on Tuesday, 28 July from 5:30 – 7:00 PM (AEST), moderated by Author and Journalist, Annabel Crabb. This event will be held at the State Library of Queensland.
A breast cancer diagnosis can reshape how people think about their bodies, relationships and future plans — including sex, fertility and pregnancy. While these conversations are becoming more visible and better understood, they remain complex, deeply personal, and often filled with unanswered questions.
In this upcoming Q&A, we’re bringing together a panel of leading experts alongside women with a lived experience of breast cancer. Together, they will explore how breast cancer intersects with sexual health and intimacy, reproductive choices and identity, while highlighting the critical role of research in improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
Broadcast live from the State Library of Queensland in Brisbane, this event will create a safe and informative space to unpack the questions many people have, but don’t always feel comfortable asking.
What we’ll cover:
- Sex and intimacy: Breast cancer can have significant physical and emotional effects on sexual health, from hormonal and libido changes, vaginal dryness and genitourinary symptoms, to body image and confidence. Our panel will explore how these challenges show up in real life, strategies for navigating them, and how research is helping to better support patients and their partners.
- Fertility and family planning: For younger women in particular, a diagnosis can raise urgent and complex questions about fertility. We’ll discuss how treatments may impact fertility, what options exist for preservation, and how advances in research are helping to give people more choice and clarity about their future.
- Pregnancy after breast cancer: Is it safe to become pregnant after breast cancer? When is the right time? These are common concerns, often surrounded by uncertainty. Our experts will share the latest evidence, address misconceptions, and explain how ongoing research is shaping guidelines and improving confidence for patients considering pregnancy.
- Emotional wellbeing and identity: Sexuality, fertility and motherhood are closely tied to identity and mental health. This conversation will also explore the psychological impact of these changes, and the importance of holistic care that supports both physical and emotional wellbeing.
Whether you’re personally affected by breast cancer, supporting someone who is, working in healthcare, or simply want to better understand these important issues, this Q&A offers expert insight, real experiences and meaningful conversation.
This isn’t just about clinical outcomes, it’s about quality of life, relationships, identity and the future.
We hope you can join us! Click the button below to register.
Meet the Panel
Annabel Crabb
Author and Journalist
Annabel Crabb
Author and Journalist
Our Q&A will be moderated by Annabel Crabb, one of Australia’s most beloved journalists.
Annabel Crabb is an ABC writer and presenter who has covered Australian politics for nearly 30 years as a news reporter, columnist and broadcaster.
Known for her engaging approach to explaining Australian politics and history, Annabel created the long-running interview series Kitchen Cabinet, which has aired for eight seasons on ABCTV.
She has written and presented two major documentary series on the life and history of the Australian Parliament: The House, With Annabel Crabb, and Ms Represented, which marked the centenary of the first woman’s election to an Australian parliament. A third series in the trilogy is due out this year.
Annabel has also hosted the ABC Australian history and food series, Back In Time For Dinner, Further Back In Time For Dinner and Back In Time For The Corner Shop. She is a regular face on ABC TV’s election night and Budget broadcasts and has a long history of appearances on ABC’s Insiders program, including a stint as acting host in 2019. Annabel won a Walkley Award for her Quarterly Essay “Stop At Nothing: The Life And Adventures Of Malcolm Turnbull”, and in 2024 was named columnist of the year for her political commentary at the ABC. In 2014, she wrote non-fiction bestseller The Wife Drought, about gender and work in Australia.
She is a regular commentator across the ABC’s radio network. With friend and ABC colleague Leigh Sales, Annabel hosts the podcast Chat 10 Looks 3, an independent podcast in which the pair discusses books, film, culture, and cooking.
Naveena Nekkalapudi
CAP Member
Naveena Nekkalapudi
CAP Member
Ms Naveena Nekkalapudi is a member of the Breast Cancer Trials Consumer Advisory Panel and was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer on Christmas Eve in 2014.
Naveena has experienced both short and long-term side effects from breast cancer treatment, including nerve damage, chronic pain, cognitive impairment, the inability to work, and a weakened immune system, which led to further complications and hospitalisation.
Belinda Kiely
Medical Oncologist
Belinda Kiely
Medical Oncologist
Associate Professor Belinda Kiely is a medical oncologist who specialises in breast cancer. She works at Campbelltown and Concord hospitals in Sydney, Australia.
She is an honorary clinical research fellow at the University of Sydney and enjoys supervising PhD students.
Her research interests include breast cancer treatment, survivorship, and prognostication in advanced cancer. A/Prof Kiely is an active member of Breast Cancer Trials.
She is the Australian study chair of the OPTIMA clinical trial and is the chair of the BCT Supportive Care Subgroup.
A/Prof Kiely is co-chair of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia Breast Cancer Group and a member of the Breast Cancer Network Australia Strategic Advisory Group.
Wanda Cui
Consultant Medical Oncologist
Wanda Cui
Consultant Medical Oncologist
Dr Wanda Cui (MBBS BMedSci FRACP) is a consultant medical oncologist in the Breast Cancer and Lung Cancer Service at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne. Her areas of interest are cancer and pregnancy, understanding and preventing the unwanted effects of cancer treatments on ovarian function and fertility, and cancer prevention.
After graduating from the University of Melbourne and completing her medical oncology specialist training in Melbourne, Dr Cui underwent a clinical fellowship at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, where she later worked as a consultant medical oncologist in the Royal Marsden Lung Cancer Unit. She returned to Australia in 2022 and works in the breast cancer clinic, lung cancer clinic, and cancer risk management clinic at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Her research focuses on oncofertility and cancer prevention. She is the first author of the ASCO research statement regarding assessing ovarian toxicity in cancer clinical trials. She is a member of the prevention working group of the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission and is the Breast Cancer Trials Australia deputy chair for the Decrescendo trial.
Lesley Stafford
Clinical Psychologist
Lesley Stafford
Clinical Psychologist
Associate Professor Lesley Stafford is a clinical psychologist and academic psycho-oncologist with extensive clinical and research experience in breast cancer.
She has authored 85 publications and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of Breast Cancer Trials. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at Melbourne University and works in private practice.
Emma Crowley
CAP Member
Emma Crowley
CAP Member
Ms Emma Crowley is a member of the Breast Cancer Trials Consumer Advisory Panel, and was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in 2012, when she was just 24-years-old.
Tonia Mezzini
Sexual Health Physician
Tonia Mezzini
Sexual Health Physician
Dr Tonia Mezzini completed the Graduate Entry Medical Degree at Flinders University in 2000, and as a young doctor she worked in Medical and Radiation Oncology as well as Palliative Medicine, completing the Clinical Diploma in Palliative Medicine in 2008.
Dr Mezzini completed her training as a Sexual Health Physician in 2014 and her experience working in a range of sexual health services in South Australia is unparalleled. She has worked at Clinic 275, Yarrow Place, Second Story Youth Health Service, Cervix Screen SA, Adelaide Women’s Health Centre and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
During her training, Dr Mezzini was awarded a Master of HIV, STIs and Sexual Health through the University of Sydney in 2013.
As the Medical Director of SHine SA, Dr Mezzini headed up medical clinics for a busy sexual health agency, seeing a variety of patients. She was part of the medical team at Pelvic Pain SA, providing expert care to both men and women with chronic pelvic pain concerns.
Dr Mezzini continues to be involved in a number of clinical research trials focusing on women’s health, ensuring that she is at the cutting edge of new medicines and treatments. She also attends and presents at national and international conferences on a regular basis.
Her commitment to excellence in medical care is reflected in her ongoing post graduate studies. Dr Mezzini completed the Master of Psychiatry through Melbourne University in 2023.