Cancer and pregnancy – you are not alone
September 5, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Women's Health
Today, September 5, is the day for Stand up to Cancer. Here at the b5media Health & Wellness channel, we’ve decided to dedicate some of today’s blogs to the topic of cancer.
While thinking about cancer is likely the last thing a pregnant woman may do, sadly, there are pregnant women who are diagnosed during their pregnancy (Pregnant and receiving chemotherapy). Of course, learning you have cancer is bad enough, learning about it while you’re pregnant brings in many other issues, making the diagnosis even more difficult.
Pregnancy doesn’t cause cancer but, according to Cancer.net, “Cancer occurs in approximately one out of every 1,000 pregnancies.” Unfortunately, the pregnancy itself may delay the diagnosis of cancer. If a pregnant woman is experiencing certain symptoms that could also be blamed on pregnancy, she may not seek medical help until the cancer has progressed more than it might have if she had not been pregnant. And, of course, there is also the concern about doing certain types of tests to a pregnant woman. The fear is that some of the tests may damage the fetus.
The most common cancer detected in pregnant women is breast cancer (1 in 3000 pregnancies), most often in women between 32 and 38 years old, according to the National Cancer Institute, however, other types of cancer, like Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cervical cancer, malignant melanoma, and thyroid cancer may also be diagnosed.
There is support for women who are pregnant and who have been told they have pregnancies. One excellent source is the Pregnant with Cancer Network. The site offers information on the latest news, survivor stories, newsletters, and most importantly, support.
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Other posts around the channel:
- The Breast Cancer 3-Day 60-Mile Walk
- Brain Cancer Resources
- 10 best cancer pain posts – Stand up to Cancer
- Cancer Awareness…How Aware Are You?
- Stand Up 2 Cancer Mission Statement
- Black Raspberries Prevent Cancer By Restoring Gene Alteration
- b5media is participating in Stand Up 2 Cancer
- Live Blogging at Pink Ribbon Review Tonight During SU2C- Stand Up 2 Cancer
- Diabetes and Pancreatic cancer- a link or just a strong coincidence?
- Prostate Cancer and Diabetes research closely linked- 6 new genes
Image: iStock
Tags: pregnancy blog, pregnant with cancer, cancer during pregnancy, breast cancer, malignant melanoma, hodgkins disease, stand up to cancer
Great post Marijke. Thank you so much, for letting women who might be experiencing cancer and pregnancy know they are not alone!
Wow, I had no idea. Great informative post. I learned something today.
Great post, Marijke! I can only imagine how scary it must be to get a cancer diagnosis – I’m sure that fear is doubled when the person is diagnosed and is pregnant. How awesome it is that there’s a support network.