Doctor, my friend just died last month after giving birth 4 months ago.
I told her not to get pregnant and that it would be better to have an abortion. I really miss my dear friend.
A 40-year-old woman came to get a contraceptive injection at the clinic in early March. She mentioned to the doctor that her friend had breast cancer before getting pregnant and had undergone chemotherapy treatment until her condition improved. She already had one child and wanted another. After completing chemotherapy, she became pregnant, but it turned out she was diagnosed with breast cancer again at 4 months pregnant. She decided to continue the pregnancy, but near delivery, she developed complications from preeclampsia and almost didn’t survive… After giving birth, the breast cancer continued to progress until she passed away.
Deciding to continue the pregnancy until delivery, a woman may face difficulties and dangers from existing diseases or those that may occur with pregnancy, such as high blood pressure. The decision to continue the pregnancy or terminate it is crucial for health and life. Therefore, women need to carefully consider and find answers to the following:
1) Will this pregnancy pose more dangers or side effects than having an abortion?
2) Will continuing the pregnancy affect her life both physically and mentally?
If she cannot find clear answers on her own, she should consult a doctor or nurse, a volunteer counselor from RSA, or call 1663.
As in the news on March 2, 2017, a woman secretly gave birth at home in Thung Song District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. It was her third pregnancy, and she had two children with a husband she separated from. She didn’t tell anyone about this pregnancy and didn’t go for prenatal care. When she went into labor, she was alone at home. After giving birth, she lost a lot of blood. When people found her because they heard the baby crying, she had already passed away…
No matter the reason, if she had been able to open up and consult with someone, whether a friend or a doctor or nurse who could gain her trust and heal her mind, the situation might have been much better. Every life is valuable.
Earlier, on February 22, 2017, Thai PBS reported a 17-year-old girl terminated her pregnancy at 8 months and discarded the fetus in a trash bin. She experienced heavy bleeding and was hospitalized. Her boyfriend was in jail for drug charges, and her mother was helping to raise her other child. She must have had reasons to take such risks. No one intends to get pregnant just to have an abortion, but there were important issues she had to decide on while her husband was in jail. In the end, she was condemned by her boyfriend’s father and arrested by the police, but her mental state must have been terrible. Society should listen and give her the right to defend herself because she had to raise her child. Therefore, she chose this way out because she probably couldn’t raise another child and knew there would be many problems. Please help heal her. Her life is still loved and valuable to her mother and child. Uncle Doctor sends her encouragement.
A 37-year-old woman, after missing her period for 7 days, took a urine test. While waiting for the result, she told the doctor, “I feel scared, my hands are shaking, hoping it will show one line or two.” When it showed two lines, she was shocked and didn’t know what to do, thinking only of her child because her first child was only 9 months old. Not only that, during her first pregnancy at just over 2 months, she found out she had breast cancer on the right side. The doctor removed her breast and gave her chemotherapy from 3 months pregnant. She continued the pregnancy and had to receive a total of 8 chemotherapy sessions. But at 35 weeks pregnant, after 6 sessions, the doctor stopped chemotherapy to prepare for delivery, and she delivered via cesarean section. When she went for a postnatal check-up, she told the doctor she was going to continue chemotherapy. The doctor didn’t give her any birth control because she was afraid the medication would affect the cancer, and her body was still not normal. She breastfed her child for only 1 month before stopping to start the 7th and 8th chemotherapy sessions. She tried to express milk and store it in the freezer, but there was no milk. She made a mistake by not using condoms and sometimes took emergency contraceptive pills.
When she found out she was pregnant…
she felt guilty for not preventing it. At 5 weeks pregnant, she thought about taking better care of her breast cancer. The doctor scheduled a mammogram every 3 months, which she would have to skip if pregnant. Previously, a small lump was found in her left breast, and the doctor said there was a risk of breast cancer on the other side. She considered terminating the pregnancy because she wanted her child to be 3 years old before having another. She had reasons and was not ready to be pregnant at this time…
According to the report “Is Abortion linked to breast cancer?” the ratio of cancer during pregnancy is 1 in 1000, and breast cancer is 1 in 3000. Pregnant women with breast cancer can be treated with supportive chemotherapy until an average gestational age of 38 weeks, at which point they can deliver, provided there are no complications during delivery.
A study in Canada found 119 pregnant patients with breast cancer. Of these, 22 had their pregnancies terminated, 12 miscarried, and 85 delivered, with 2 infants dying at birth. All infants born had below-average weight.
The recommendation from this research is that after a cancer diagnosis, women should delay pregnancy for 2-3 years because there is a chance of cancer recurrence within 2 years. Importantly, the mother may not live long enough to raise the child. Therefore, the decision to become pregnant after a breast cancer diagnosis must be individualized for each patient.
Illnesses and diseases threaten women’s lives and health, just as mental health, economic, family, and social issues do. Pregnant women must choose a way to protect themselves, ensuring they do not die, but they should consult a professional support team.
With love and care,
Uncle Doctor Ruangkit Sirikanchanakul