Breast Cancer and Pregnancy
Although it is rare for breast cancer to strike younger women, the fact remains that all women are at risk. And for those of childbearing age, the first sign and symptoms of breast cancer leading to a diagnosis can not only be upsetting and unexpected, but complicated as well. Developing breast cancer at a younger age—in a woman’s 40s, 30s, even 20s—will mean making important and difficult decisions about one’s life and future perhaps much sooner than originally expected. One concern is developing breast cancer during pregnancy, which although rare, can still occur. In this case, the treatment chosen will not only affect the patient and her body, but the growing baby inside her as well. It will depend on what stage of pregnancy she is in (first, second or third trimester) and what stage her cancer is in—such as whether or not it’s advanced. Most pregnant women can have treatment for their breast cancer without affecting the baby. But some might be advised by their obstetrician or health-care practitioner—or even decide themselves—to terminate the pregnancy, more so if the pregnancy is in its earlier stages, in order to receive certain treatments that would be too risky otherwise. But it is essential to remember that it is a woman’s own decision—it is not medically necessary to terminate a pregnancy if the expectant mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. All it does is limit treatment options. Breast cancer itself will not affect the fetus—only certain tests and treatments will. Generally speaking, tamoxifen, chemotherapy, radiation, and other drug-related therapies are avoided if the woman is pregnant because of their associated risks with birth defects. Tamoxifen, especially, is considered very unsafe because it is a hormonal therapy and is never recommended if the woman is pregnant or planning on conceiving. Surgery—either a lumpectomy or mastectomy—is the most common and preferred method of treatment for breast cancer in pregnant women. Another concern is whether or not breast cancer survivors can or should go on to have children after treatment and recovery. It’s a very controversial issue with firm advocates on both sides of the debate. There are two main questions here, for both the medical and health community and breast cancer survivors wanting their own children: 1) Do certain breast cancer treatments affect fertility?; and 2) Is it actually considered safe to conceive and carry a baby to term following breast cancer and breast cancer treatments? As far as fertility goes, there is no definite answer here. For chemotherapy, it depends on the age and what specific drug was used—some affect fertility more than others. And taking tamoxifen after chemotherapy to prevent recurrence is not recommended if the woman desires to become pregnant right away. Although tamoxifen is sometimes used as a fertility treatment, there is evidence to suggest that it damages developing embryos, and therefore is not considered safe to use. Many doctors caution these women to wait several years to ensure receiving the best breast cancer treatment possible and to go past the point of the biggest threat of breast cancer recurrence. But some women decide to go ahead and have babies anyway, since it’s so important to them. An informed woman has a distinct advantage over her fears. Arm yourself about Breast Cancer and be ready to fight and beat any possible diagnosis. |
Other Articles
Breast Cancer Tips As Part Of Stress Management Solutions During recent times, when my life was really full of stress, I had a routine breast scan which showed an abnormality.I was actually lucky - but that comes later.At the time, as I've described to you on my website,I was dealing with terminal illness in my Dad, unemployment in my husband, a house move and a rebellious, debt ridden ch ...Keeping Women's Health in Check If a woman ever experienced unusually painful menstruation or noticed lumps in their breasts and vaginal discharge similar to cottage cheese, there is a great possibility she's in trouble. Any sensible woman should immediately set an appointment and see her trusted gynecologist. Women's health is often a subject taken for granted. Most women wai ...Breast Cancer: Multivitamin and Mineral Supplements Multiple enzyme digestive formulas can be taken with meals to aid in digestion. This is especially helpful for women who are undergoing or have recently undergone any form of chemotherapy. The effects of the drugs used will often compromise the function of the digestive tract for some time and therefore will adversely affect the ability to diges ...Moving Beyond a Cancer Diagnosis Probably one of the most feared diagnoses for women is that of breast cancer. It violates ones feminity, as well as threatens your life. It is a formidable opponent. However, with work, breast cancer does not need to be the focus of your life.So how does one move past this diagnosis? Well, it is not easy. In the beginning, you must e ...Six Reasons to Choose a Nudist Vacation It’s that time of year when my loved one and myself set aside an evening to open a bottle of wine and discuss one of the most significant events in the Egger family calendar, to whit, the Great Annual Holiday.As always, the first decision we have to make is whether we choose nude or not. As confirmed nudists, we naturally favour a naturi ...Lymphoma Symptoms One of the most important factors in determining the survival rate or chances for remission of cancer patients is early detection. Some cancers where this is very true include breast cancer and prostate cancer because early detection of the disease makes it easier to treat since the cancer is usually just found in one localized area. With rega ...Men's Health - Prostrate Cancer And Men Men and women are alike, as they are human beings with a similar physical structure. They are very similar in their outlook, and even biologically too.However, there are certain things that are just totally conflict, such as the main organs that define their sexes. Males have different gonads and so do women, and this plays a vital role i ...Breast Cancer and Battlestar Galactica In October of last year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and rushed into surgery three days later. Thus began a journey that would change my perceptions of what's important, and the strange realization that life is a fragile miracle not to be taken for granted. It made me more determined to hang on to life, something I saw on a science fictio ...Breast Awareness - Don't Leave it Too Late For the last three months, I have been nursing a deep concern: would the lump I found turn out to be breast cancer? How many other women have had that terrible feeling of dread when they came across their own lump? I have to say, I agonised over it for several weeks. Should I waste the time of the Doctor? If I waited a bit longer it may go away ...Menopause Issues, And A Safer Solution The most classic symptoms of menopause include night sweats, difficulty sleeping, vaginal dryness, depression, and mood swings. A United States study showed nearly sixty percent of women had hot flashes as early as two years before menstruation stopped. Other symptoms in the per menopause/menopause time frame include poor handling of stress, a m ...Stimulating the Body's Defenses to Fight Cancer Comediennes such as Gilda Radner and Madeline Kahn, Oscar-winning actresses like Loretta Young and Sandy Dennis, singers Laura Nyro and Dinah Shore, actor Pierce Brosnan’s wife Cassandra Harris, actress Jessica Tandy, former Connecticut governor Ella Grasso, and Martin Luther King’s wife Coretta Scott King all died of ovarian cancer. It’s not ju ...Alcohol Consumption and Radiation Exposure Several studies suggest that drinking alcoholic beverages, even in moderate amounts, may increase breast cancer risk. Regardless of the type of drink - beer, wine and hard liquor, all of these drinks contribute to breast cancer risk and as consumption rises, so does the risk. Women under 55 years of age with no other risk factors who have more ...Making the Most of Holiday Leftovers Holiday time means turkey, and turkey usually means leftovers. Now you can jazz up roast turkey and watch it disappear.The Reuben Tortilla offers another opportunity to savor the holiday leftovers. It’s easy to make, and thanks to sauerkraut, it’s healthy.Sauerkraut – traditionally a staple of German cuisine – contains chemical com ...The Power of One Getting the best from yourself and others all starts with the power of one…One Thought, One Word, One Action.“One” is the first note in orchestrating your attitude. Contrary to the lyrics from a classic rock song, one is not the loneliest number. It’s the most important one!Your thoughts, words and actions are like individua ...Inner Cleavage! I read an article back in March 2005 that had the words of the title of this article in it. I picked it up at the Cancer Center at Beaumont Hospital, in Detroit Michigan. It was a heartfelt story of a woman who had lost her breasts to Breast Cancer. The story went on to talk about Melissa Etheridge and of her deliberate boldness at the 2005 Gram ...Breast Cancer, Prevention is The Cure October has been Breast Cancer Awareness month since 1985. In the coming days, pink ribbons will emerge in abundance, symbolizing the efforts of educational and fund raising events that take place to find the “cure”, and offering hope to those already diagnosed. These local and national events will generate millions of dollars. As the “Race f ...Facts About Zoloft And Hot Flashes Medical researchers have conducted a few studies concerning Zoloft and hot flashes. A few more studies have been done concerning Paxil and hot flashes. Twice as many published studies have focused on black cohosh and hot flashes and there are even more concerning this herb and other symptoms related to menopause. Why so many studies?Tr ...Your Mammogram Is Abnormal – What Now? It’s 10am on a Tuesday morning. You are getting ready for a meeting with your team when a phone call comes in for you…from your health care provider. It seems your routine annual mammogram has found a small spot that needs further evaluation. Now what?No doubt about it, an abnormal mammogram is a scary thing. The first thing you should r ...Infomercials: Long on Info, Short on Facts It’s starts off innocently enough. Two guys are sitting at a desk, Scott Kennedy, a non-descript Irish looking chap who apparently has unlocked the secret to well-being through seaweed and Donald Barrett, a slicked-back-jet-black-hair shady rascal who I’m pretty sure I bought shoes from a year or two back.“Welcome to the show,” Donald off ...Female Breast Reconstruction After Weight Loss Surgery In my pre-surgical consultation for gastric bypass weight loss surgery I remember asking my surgeon “will I lose my breasts?” He assured me, yes indeed, I would lose my breasts. Nine months and 100 pounds later they were gone. I was embarrassed by my after WLS breasts, now deflated skin balloons hanging low on my chest. My breasts – my sexual pr ...Mindfulness and Mammaries: Grinning With Gratitude I am truly inspired by a most mindful group of breast cancer survivors. Referring to themselves as "The Golden Mammaries", these women gather weekly to support each other, share stories, and mostly, to laugh. In their fifties and sixties, they've lived through cancer--some more than once--and they never miss their cue to grin.Picture this ...Bras Do Not Cause Breast Cancer Women should continue to wear bras if they want to because there is no evidence whatever to associate bras with breast cancer. This theory was developed by Syd Singer and Soma Grismaijer who wrote a book called Dressed to Kill, claiming that bras constrict breast tissue and block lymph drainage, causing chemical toxins to remain in the breast. T ...Higher Leverage Against Lung Cancer The fight against cancer has been progressively advancing through the years. Combined efforts from the government, civil society, and health advocacy groups have gained dramatic results. Cancer awareness is on the rise, alternative less cancer-prone lifestyles are arising, while medical researches and technological advancement have tremendously ...Breast Cancer - Estrogen Dominance and The Imbalance Of Hormones Estrogen Dominance is a term coined by the late John R. Lee, M.D., author of a number of books on the topic of women’s hormones. The theory of Estrogen Dominance describes a condition where a woman can have deficient, normal or excessive estrogen but has little or no progesterone to balance its effects in the body. Even a woman with low estrogen ...
|