Pregnancy May Not Affect Breast Cancer Survival

Breast cancer is known to be the most common cancer affecting pregnant women, primarily targeting women in their mid – 30s. While breast cancer is always a major concern when detected in any individual, when it is detected in an expecting mother, it could have dire effects on the lives of both, the mother and child. Studies have shown that there appears to be some link between breast cancer and women choosing to have children at a later stage in their lives and the increasing risk of being affected by the condition. This conclusion is derived from the data that shows only 1 in every 50 affected women are below the age of 35 but almost 1 in 9 amongst women in the age group between 35 and 44. Since breast cancer is essentially detected by checking the breast for lumps, given that the woman’s body and breasts undergo significant changes during a pregnancy, it is much harder to detect at this time. Moreover, the tumors that develop in a woman’s breast as a result of the breast cancer are often much larger and at a more advanced stage than when compared to women of the same age that are not pregnant.

While there is no way to guarantee safeguarding yourself from the condition, there are a number of steps you could take to detect the presence of the condition as early as possible, thereby making it much easier to treat. Visiting your obstetrician for regular checkups will help you keep a tab on your overall health as well as the unborn child’s health. While it is important that you have a breast exam at each of these visits, you should also ask your doctor to help you with the techniques of performing a self test and regularly check yourself for any changes in your breasts. Undergoing a mammogram during a pregnancy is considered to be rather safe during a pregnancy because the radiation required is very little and focused on your breast. However, experts are divided in their opinion as it is not known how much radiation is required to damage the fetus. Other alternatives that can be used to detect the condition that do not require the use of radiation include breast ultrasound – which is considered to be very safe. The treatment options will depend on a number of factors including the size of the tumor as well as the stage of pregnancy