Is Pregnancy Risky For Women Who Have Survived Breast Cancer?

It is known that women with breast cancer are more difficult to conceive. It is known that women with breast cancer are more difficult to conceive. Anadolu Medical Center Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal shared important information about women who have survived breast cancer and want to become pregnant.

Anadolu Medical Center Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal underlines that these women are also more likely to need cesarean section and adds: “Still, most of these women give birth to healthy babies but these children have lower birth weight than the general population. This situation is even more pronounced in patients who receive chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment, ”he said.

Information should be given to breast cancer patients who are considering getting pregnant.

Stating that the fact that breast cancer patients become pregnant afterwards does not affect the course of their breast cancer, Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal said, “These findings have been confirmed once again by the observation of Italian researchers at the recent San Antonio breast cancer symposium. Therefore, if young patients diagnosed with breast cancer also wish to become pregnant, it would be appropriate to receive support and inform patients about oncological fertility before starting chemotherapy treatment, ”he said.

Women who survive breast cancer are more likely to give birth prematurely

Emphasizing that 39 different studies on this subject were collectively reviewed at the symposium, Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal gave the following information about the research details: “Out of more than 8 million women with breast cancer, 114 thousand of them had information related to breast cancer and pregnancy. More than 114 of these 7 women became pregnant after diagnosis. It was observed that breast cancer patients were 500 percent less likely to become pregnant compared to the general population. As a result, a closer look at the pregnancies of these patients showed that the probability of spontaneous miscarriage was not higher, but the probability of cesarean section was 60 percent higher than the general population. The probability of low body weight of the newborn baby was 14 percent and the probability of premature birth increased by 50 percent. The likelihood of the baby being smaller for the gestational age was also 45 percent higher. However, there was no increase in any congenital anomaly risk. An increase in pregnancy complications and bleeding was also not observed compared to the general population.

Underlining that there is a preliminary observation that pregnancy can contribute 27 percent to disease-free survival when information on the survival of mothers is also reviewed, Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal said, “Again, there was a positive 44 percent increase in overall survival. "Although these increases in overall survival and disease-free survival require broader verification analyzes, I believe that the information here is valuable for individuals with breast cancer at a young age who intend to become mothers," he said.