Pregnancy and Breast Cancer Risk

Breast cancer is the most usual cancer in pregnant women and tends to have an effect on women in their mid-30s. Though simply roughly one in every 3,000 pregnant women get breast cancer, the disease could be devastating to both the mother and her child -- thus it is necessary that pregnant women and their doctors maintain to perform regular breast exams and carefully examine any suspicious lumps and symptoms.

When a pregnant woman grows breast cancer, it is frequently detected at a later stage than it is in women who are not pregnant. This is since as long as pregnancy, hormone alterations lead to a woman's breasts to broaden and become more tender and lumpy. This could make it harder for you or your doctor to discover a lump in your breasts. Mammograms are harder as well for doctors to read as long as pregnancy since the breasts becomes denser. The early alterations caused by cancer can be mistaken for or hidden by the normal alterations that occur with pregnancy as well.

Even as long as pregnancy, early detection is a significant element of breast health. Converse to your doctor or nurse concerning breast exams and the best time for your next mammogram -- particularly if you are age 40 or older, or if you or your doctor observes a alteration in how your breasts appearance or feel. As always, if you discover any lump or alteration in your breasts, say to your doctor or nurse immediately.

Pregnancy-Related Factors that Increase Breast Cancer Risk

A number of factors connected with pregnancy are recognized to add to a woman’s possibilities of developing breast cancer:
 After a woman gives birth, her risk of breast cancer is momentarily increased. This momentary upsurge lasts simply for a few years.
 A woman who in pregnancy took DES (diethylstilbesterol), a synthetic form of estrogen that was utilized between the early 1940s and 1971, has a faintly higher risk of developing breast cancer.

A number of treatments for breast cancer, like certain chemo drugs, might have an effect on a woman’s fertility. Still, lots of women are able to become pregnant after treatment. Women concerned in relation to their fertility ought to converse to their doctors regarding this prior to beginning breast cancer treatment.

All women who have suffered breast cancer and are considering about having children ought to converse with their doctors concerning their risk of cancer coming back. In numerous cases, counseling could assist women sort through the options that be associated with surviving breast cancer and planning a pregnancy.