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Pregnancy right after cancer
  • momma_mkmomma_mk
    Posts: 37Member
    My beautiful younger sister just found out she's pregnant! She was diagnosed and treated for lymphoma starting last Christmas and just recently finished chemo and radiation in the past 6 weeks. I'm a little concerned for her body right now--it's just had some major stress and pregnancy isn't exactly easy on you. Anyone here have any experience with pregnancy right after finishing cancer treatment? 

    It's honestly a miracle because the nurses told her the chemo would make her go into menopause (she is only 30!) and that it was too late to freeze any eggs. We're all excited for her, just concerned that she hasn't had time to recover yet. 
  • Lakegirl34
    Posts: 1,751Member
    I don't know anything about this but just hope the best for your sister. There are a lot of great books (and internet sites) about foods that maximize "cancer fighting" systems in the body. I don't know of any specifically but have a family member on one who has been in remission for 5 years.
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,188Member
    Congrats!  I'm sure she'll be o.k., but she definitely needs to be closely followed probably by a high risk pregnancy specialist as well.  This is so very exciting for her!  Though I don't quite understand why they would think it too late to freeze eggs unless her cancer had progressed to the point that waiting a month to stimulate and get eggs would have put her at risk.  I'm sure there's a lot of literature out there about post-chemo/radiation pregnancies. 

    A little fyi, too, and I'm not too sure about this but it's something that's worth investigating.  I've heard of a number of women who conceived after chemo so it might be worth looking into if she wants more children if fertility drugs could "re-" stimulate her ovaries.  A way to start is for her to have her FSH, estrodial, and progesterone levels checked after she has the baby.  FSH is the big one and so long as that's low, she can probably conceive again, maybe not even needing any "help."

    All that aside, I'm very excited for her!  Congrats and best of luck!
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • LLB
    Posts: 3,309Member
    Wow that is really fast after treatment! If she just finished treatment 6 weeks ago and is already pregnant then she conceived less than 4 weeks after treatment! And that is if she is only 4 weeks right now. I'm not sure how long chemo/radiation stays in your body but imagine it lingers for a while after.

    If she hasn't told her oncologist yet she definately needs to let this be known to them ASAP.

    While it's not really the same I was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year while I was pregnant (ended up losing that baby because it was ectopic so it's not really related). Luckily I was able to be treated with surgery to remove the tumors and able to bypass chemo and such! Surgery was done in March and so far I am still cancer free. I conceived 8 weeks after surgery but again I never had chemo so that wasn't a risk factor for me conceiving so early. The fact that I now have a weak cervix is though! I am now 12 weeks pregnant with my baby and see my oncologist every 3 months for a pap to check for recurrence and my obgyn once a month. I am considered high risk but not seeing a high risk dr as of yet. That may change soon though if my cervix starts dialating and I need a cerclage.

    Again I know my story is not the same as your sisters but figured I'd share mine as I somewhat know the roller coaster of emotions she and the rest of your family must be going through. Cancer is scary stuff! Pregnancy after cancer treatment is scary as hell!
  • [Deleted User]
    Posts: 2,509
    Big congrats to her! I don't know anything about getting pregnant after cancer treatment, but I wish the best for her!
    Get me a damn beer.
  • MorganD
    Posts: 3,456Member
    My dad was the only one to have ever gotten cancer in my family. Congratulations to your sister!! While I think she needs to be monitored, I would think that putting too much stress on her might make her pregnancy harder. So, keep an eye on her...but be sneaky about it.lol Good luck and best wishes to your family!
  • LLB
    Posts: 3,309Member
    Oh oh oh! I completely forgot to say

    CONGRATULATIONS!!! To your sister! And you too auntie!!! :-)
  • KindredSpiritKindredSpirit
    Posts: 185Member

    First of all CONGRATULATIONS to your sister for completing chemo and radiation and on the pregnancy!

    I am a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor (cancer free as of 6/26/12).  Did she have Hodgkin's or Non Hodgkin's?  My situation probably isn't much help to her because it is backwards from hers.  I was diagnosed with cancer 6 weeks after giving birth.  I started having all the symptoms of HL during my pregnancy--night sweats, rash all over my body, extreme weight loss (yes, while I was pregnant), loss of appetite, etc., but my OB/GYN just equated it with the pregnancy.  Things started to get much worse after I had my DD and that's when I finally got a second opinion.  My pregnancy was very difficult, but that was before I had any treatments.

    In April 2012 I had a stem cell transplant, so basically right now I have the immune system of an infant.  I too was told that I would go into early menopause (I'm 28), but didn't.  I was actually hoping that I couldn't get pregnant, because I have 2 DDs and don't want any more.  However, my doctors recently determined that I still can.  They don't want me to for the first year because of my weakened immune system (but I'm not planning on getting pregnant anyway).  Having a stem cell transplant wiped out all my vaccinations that I got as a baby and child, so I am highly susceptible to any viruses.  But, since your sister didn't have a stem cell transplant, it might be completely different for her.

    As others said, her oncologist should know about the pregnancy asap and I'm sure all the doctors will work together to help her and her baby keep healthy.  This is so exciting for me to hear!  I love cancer survivor stories.  Best of luck to all your family!

  • KindredSpiritKindredSpirit
    Posts: 185Member
    Also, I might sound like a creeper here, buuutt...if your sister wants an e-mail buddy to talk to about Life after Lymphoma I would be happy to talk to her.  I think it would be great to correspond with someone who has been in a similar situation, life after treatment is still pretty new to me as well.
  • momma_mkmomma_mk
    Posts: 37Member
    Hey everybody, sorry for the delay. Thanks so much for your well wishes and support! She let her oncologist know and he actually didn't have any concerns at all, and she's already seen the doctor and had an ultrasound. So far, baby looks good! They didn't have any major concerns about this being a health risk for her.

    @sahm84 , so glad to hear you're doing better. She had large cell lymphoma, not the Hodgkins type. Symptoms sound very similar, though. I hope you're able to have more kids, if that's your plan, and that your immune system gets stronger! Thanks for the email suggestion too--I'll definitely mention it to her. 
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