If a cancer isn’t found early because of pregnancy, or you choose to delay treatment, this may affect your prognosis. Cancer during pregnancy is uncommon. Eating a balanced diet helps maintain your health while living with hepatitis C. Learn more about what to eat on a hepatitis C diet. However, in some cases, you might have to deliver your baby earlier than planned. Being diagnosed with cancer or starting cancer treatment during pregnancy can be very stressful and overwhelming. Treatment choices for pregnant women with cancer are the same as treatment choices for nonpregnant women with cancer. Diagnosis and treatment can pose many challenges, as some of the procedures used to determine cancer status are harmful to the fetus. What You Should Know About Breast Cancer While Breastfeeding, COVID-19 Decision Fatigue: What It Is and How to Deal With It. Read on to learn more about how doctors diagnose and treat cancer during pregnancy. If your doctor suspects cancer is increasing your hCG levels, they’ll run a sensitive blood test. Studies suggest that children exposed to chemotherapy during pregnancy do not show more health issues than children who are not. Benign tumors aren't cancer. Find out whether it’ll be covered, when it might be available, whether COVID-19 tests are covered…. If your baby is healthy, they won’t need any additional treatments. Learn the signs and risk of breast cancer while breastfeeding, plus how this condition is treated safely in lactating women. If you choose to breastfeed your baby while you have cancer, cancer cells won’t pass from you to your baby. Others could possibly be harmful. The most common cancers in pregnancy are breast cancer, cervical cancer, lymphoma, and melanoma. Doctors may recommend waiting to treat some specific types of cancer, such as early-stage cervical cancer, until after the baby is born. Which treatment plan do you think is best? Trusted, compassionate information for people with cancer and their families and caregivers, from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the voice of the world’s cancer physicians and oncology professionals. CT scans are like x-rays but are much more exact because they use more radiation. They can then delay the test. An obstetrician, sometimes called an OB, is a doctor who cares for women during and after pregnancy. 1. All rights reserved worldwide, Sexual Health and Cancer Treatment: Women, Fertility Concerns and Preservation for Men, Fertility Concerns and Preservation for Women. Experts have found the level of radiation used in an X-ray isn’t high enough to harm an unborn baby. Cervical cancer can be detected by a Pap smear, which is often performed during pregnancy, or from a doctor's exam prompted by symptoms you might be experiencing (such as bleeding). Always talk with your health care team about each recommended test and let the testing staff know you are pregnant. Can Testosterone Supplements Improve Your Sex Drive? Pregnant women should wear a lead shield to cover their belly during an X-ray when possible. Will my cancer treatment affect how I give birth? There is usually little risk to the fetus. Cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) is a protein. For example, a Pap test done as a part of standard pregnancy care can find cervical cancer, or an ultrasound done during pregnancy can find ovarian cancer. Can You Have Bipolar Disorder and an Anxiety Disorder at the Same Time? A doctor will take a sample of your blood or saliva for testing. Common tests used in cancer diagnosis include: X-ray. Pregnancy can actually make it harder to diagnose cancer early. If you have breast cancer while pregnant, surgery may affect your ability to breastfeed if you have a mastectomy or radiation. Chemotherapy involves using toxic substances to kill the cancer in your body. Many women go on to recover from cancer and have healthy babies. 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