Can I Have a Baby after Having Breast Cancer?
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Pregnancy After Breast Cancer: baby
Can I Have a Baby after Having Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer treatment increases the risk for decreased fertility due to exposure to chemotherapy and delaying pregnancy for several years after treatment. Twenty percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are in their reproductive years. baby
Women considering pregnancy after completing breast cancer treatment require extensive counseling of risks and benefits as well as discussion of available options to achieve pregnancy, tailored to their medical and social circumstances.
Women considering pregnancy after completing breast cancer treatment require extensive counseling of risks and benefits as well as discussion of available options to achieve pregnancy, tailored to their medical and social circumstances.
Breast cancer is most common in older women. But if you are a younger woman who has had breast cancer, you might have questions about how breast cancer could affect your ability to have children and whether there are any extra risks.
Here are Some Important Points Related To Pregnancy After Breast Cancer:
- Breast Cancer affects women during their child-bearing ages.
- Doctors now agree that it is safe for a woman to get pregnant after completing their treatment.
- However, doctors had for long believed that increased levels of estrogen during pregnancy could result in recurrence.
- One should never attempt to get pregnant while undergoing treatment. This is because it raises the chances of the mother succumbing to the disease.
- A woman should wait for at least two years before getting pregnant.
- This period is advised to allow the breast adequate time to heal and also for all toxins in the body to clear.
- These toxins are usually as a result of the medication one receives during treatment.
- The period is also used for monitoring the possibility of recurrence.
- If the disease were to recur, it would most likely happen during this two-year period.
- Recent studies have shown that getting pregnant after breast cancer treatment increases your chances of survival.
- A woman might not conceive after breast cancer treatment. This usually happens if the radiation treatment was done on the ovaries.
- This could be as a result of the disease spreading to the ovaries.
- Infertility may also be as a result of some of the chemotherapy treatments.
- When this happens, the woman is unable to conceive and may have to consider other options such as adoption.
- Another problem associated with the available treatment options is that they could result in early menopause. This also results in a woman being unable to conceive.
Most of the women who can still conceive after breast cancer treatment suffers from a lot of uncertainty and worry.
- They worry about passing on the disease to their children.
- This is an especially difficult time for a woman who comes from a home with a history of the disease.
- Such women worry about conceiving a child who will late go through the same agony as they did due to the disease.
- When one is going through such concerns, they need to consult with their doctors who will put their fears to rest.
- They also need the support of family members who can be relied upon to take care of their children in case they do not survive.
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The Most Common Questions Related To Pregnancy after Breast Cancer:
1. Pregnancy After Breast Cancer:
- Many women are able to become pregnant after treatment for breast cancer.
- However, some treatments can make it harder to get pregnant.
- If you think you may want to have children one day, or just want to keep your options open, the best time to talk to your doctor about fertility is before you begin breast cancer treatment.
Breast cancer is most common in older women. But if you are a younger woman who has had breast cancer, you might have questions about how breast cancer could affect your ability to have children and whether there are any extra risks.
2. Can I Have a Baby after Having Breast Cancer?
- Some treatments for breast cancer may affect a woman’s fertility (ability to have a baby).
For example, chemotherapy for breast cancer might damage the ovaries, which can sometimes cause immediate or delayed infertility.
- Still, many women are able to become pregnant after treatment.
- The best time to talk with your doctor about fertility is before starting breast cancer treatment.
3. Could pregnancy and breastfeeding make my breast cancer come back?
Many breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen, so there has been concern that for women who have had breast cancer, the high hormone levels that result from a pregnancy might increase the chance of cancer coming back.
Studies have shown, though, that pregnancy does not increase the risk of the cancer coming back after successful treatment.
- There’s also no proof that breastfeeding after breast cancer treatment increases the risk of recurrence.
- In fact, some research suggests having a history of breastfeeding might actually lower the risk of cancer coming back.
4. How Long after Breast Cancer Treatment Should I Wait Before Becoming Pregnant?
If you want to have children, some doctors advise breast cancer survivors to wait at least 2 years after all treatment has finished before trying to get pregnant.
- The best length of time to wait is not clear, but 2 years is thought to be enough time to find any early return of cancer, which could affect your decision to become pregnant.
- Keep in mind that this advice is not based on data from any clinical trials.
- And some breast cancers can come back after the 2-year mark, so every case is different.
- Your decision should be based on many things, including your age, desire for more pregnancies, type of breast cancer, and the risk of cancer coming back early.
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5. If I Get Pregnant, Would my History of Breast Cancer Put my Baby at Risk:
- There is no proof that a woman’s past breast cancer has any direct effect on her baby.
- Researchers have found no increased rate of birth defects or other long-term health concerns in children born to women who have had breast cancer.
6. Could Breast Cancer Treatment Affect My Unborn Baby?:
- If you are still getting any type of treatment for breast cancer, including chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or targeted therapy, talk to your doctor before trying to become pregnant.
- These drugs could affect a growing fetus, so it is safer to wait until all treatment is complete before getting pregnant.
- It’s also important to remember that stopping treatment early can increase the risk of the cancer growing or coming back.
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7. Can I Breastfeed after Breast Cancer Treatment?:
- If you have had breast surgery and/or radiation, you may have problems breastfeeding from the affected breast.
- Studies have shown reduced milk production in that breast as well as structural changes that can make breastfeeding painful, or make it difficult for the baby to latch onto the breast.
- Still, many women are able to breastfeed.
- If you are still taking any medicines to treat your breast cancer (such as hormone therapy), it’s very important to talk with your doctor before trying to breastfeed.
- Some drugs can enter the breast milk and might affect the baby.
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If you have or have had breast cancer and are thinking about having children, talk with your doctor about how treatment could affect your chances for pregnancy. This discussion should also cover the risk of cancer coming back. In many cases, counseling can help you sort through the choices that come with surviving breast cancer and planning a pregnancy.
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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
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References:
- www.cancer.org
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