Breast Cancer During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is definitely a reason for you to be happy. But did you know that one in 3000 pregnant women are affected by breast cancer? Breast cancer during pregnancy is a little difficult to be diagnosed as compared to a non-pregnant woman. This is because while you are pregnant, your breasts become tender and appear slightly swollen too. As a result, they hinder with the test results for breast cancer during pregnancy.
Detecting breast cancer during pregnancy
Delays in diagnosis of breast cancer during pregnancy are not uncommon. Pregnant women need to perform a self-examination of their breasts to look for unusual lumps. This will make the task of detecting breast cancer easy. If you find any abnormality, make sure you approach your doctor. Your doctor may advice you to undergo an ultrasound and a mammography.
Mammography during pregnancy? Well this can sound a little surprising and shocking. However with proper shielding, mammography can be performed on pregnant women. The shield will make sure that minimal or no radiation reaches the developing baby. Mammograms during pregnancy are only used to locate the masses and other suspicious locations. In order to avoid any mishap, make sure you inform the pathologist about your pregnancy well before undergoing the test.
Treating breast cancer in pregnant women
Generally, breast cancer is treated by way of surgery in pregnant women as chemotherapy and other radiation treatments may prove fatal for the developing fetus. Chemotherapy that is given after the first trimester is generally known to be safe and does not cause any fetal malformations but can increase the risk of having a premature delivery or a miscarriage. Radiation therapy is a strict no for pregnant women.
Effects on You and Your Baby
Do not worry that the cancer will not spread to your baby as there is a barrier between you and your baby which will stop the cancerous cells from entering your baby’s body.
Chemotherapy after the first trimester will not affect your baby in anyway. However it may have effects on your fertility for future pregnancies.
The good news is that after your delivery you can still breast feed your baby as breast milk does not carry the cancerous cells.
Even after you manage to get rid of the breast cancer, make sure you go for your monthly breast exam in order to make sure that there is no relapse. Look out for lumps and unusual symptoms like blocked milk ducts and so on and alert your doctor immediately.
Submitted by P T on June 26, 2010 at 07:19