Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful life experiences that a woman encounters. During this period, you are excited as your baby is growing and soon he/she will be coming into the world to be with you forever! However, you need to keep in mind that throughout your pregnancy period, you should take extra care not only for the health of your baby but for your health as well. Unless you take enough and appropriate care, complications may arise, and even breast cancer during pregnancy is not uncommon nowadays. Knowing about breast cancer is essential for every woman so that the symptoms can be recognized and treated timely.
Breast Cancer During Pregnancy – A Short Overview
Breast cancer during pregnancy statistics, generally, say that during pregnancy, it is rare that breast cancer occurs or a woman being diagnosed with it. As per the recent research on breast cancer during pregnancy is likely to occur in one out of every 3000 expecting women. However, we cannot deny it completely as it has not remained infrequent in any way. Therefore, the best way to stay safe is to keep on checking or getting checked periodically during the whole time of pregnancy. It is also important to know that breast cancer during pregnancy is not caused by the pregnancy. So, if you are diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy, do not panic but get the necessary advice from your specialist or physicians and act accordingly.
In this article, we will discuss briefly breast cancer during pregnancy – its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments available.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer During Pregnancy
During the various phases of pregnancy, you can feel some abnormal development in your breast area if there is a possibility of breast cancer. Be suspicious to see your physician. The signs and symptoms of breast cancer during pregnancy might be as follows:
- As the first sign of breast cancer during pregnancy, in most cases, the woman feels a lump, breast tissue becoming thicker, the formation of wrinkles or dimples in the affected breast, rashes on the skin or nipple.
- The nipple becomes inverted, or discharge may also occur.
- There is a persistent pain in the armpit or the breast.
- There is an overall change in the breast which needs a proper physical examination by the specialist physician.
Be aware of the normal look and the feel of your breast. When you’re sure there is some change in any of your breast, it’s time to see the physician immediately. However, during pregnancy, it might be not that easy to feel the changes and even such changes could confuse you, Therefore, the best thing is to see your physician and go for a clinical examination if you’ve doubts.
Certain Changes & Feelings in a State of Breast Cancer During Pregnancy –
Women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy will suffer from extra strain because the safety of the baby to be born is at stake. It’s an extreme challenge for women. Yet, there is a silver lining – there are multiple treatment options available. During the beginning stages of pregnancy, the breasts may feel tend and grow in size. With the progress of pregnancy, many women feel soreness or tingling sensation in the organs, particularly in the nipples. This is because of the higher levels of progesterone and the growth of milk ducts. The nipples may become darker in color, and the veins may become conspicuous by their appearance. While all these are part of normal symptoms during pregnancy, you should stay alert if you notice any unbearable pain or any abnormal growth in your breast region.
- Be aware that you need to communicate with extreme care concerning your pregnancy caretaking team and that looks after cancer (oncology team). It’s beneficial to have frank communication with the teams.
- After Close to 16 weeks, the nipples may discharge fluid colostrum when the breasts produce it. This is, of course normal. But if you feel any abnormal feature in the same, you should consult the doctor. The best way is to discuss with your doctor if you notice any sort of discharge from breasts.
Breast lumps may be felt during pregnancy. However, be aware that breast cancer in younger women and in the course of pregnancy seldom happens according to breast cancer during pregnancy statistics. In most of the cases, the lumps are found to be benign. That is they are not cancerous. A prime example is fibroadenomas, that is, fluid-filled cysts. However, don’t stay complacent. Get examined by your doctor. Speak to your midwife as well in this regard – existing lumps or any changes thereof.
Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
In most cases, breast cancer during pregnancy is identified when a woman feels a lump or any change. However, it’s best to go the specialist and get examined. The specialist may diagnose cancer following these three ways, however you must also know the self-examination of breast cancer.
- The specialist would first examine the breast followed by an ultrasound scan of the breast. Ultrasound is safe and is not going to harm your baby.
- Mammography may also be required. However, in this case, to protect the baby from the harmful radiation of X-rays, shielding is done.
- The third and last part is a biopsy or a fine needle aspiration to collect a sample of tissues for examination. Both these tests are safe for you as well as your baby.
Available Treatments for Breast Cancer
If you happened to be diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy, don’t get disheartened. There are multiple options for treatment. Of course, the cancer condition during pregnancy is highly emotional for the woman as well as their family. It may be definitely possible that you are going to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby even when you’re undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
The treatment prescribed depends on your trimester. If you’re close of pregnancy, doctors may advise delaying the treatment to post pregnancy. You may be advised not to breastfeed so treatment can be carried out. Let us now take a quick glance at the available treatments for breast cancer.
- Surgery – Surgery can be performed during any trimesters. When you’re pregnant, the preferable option is mastectomy rather than breast-conserving surgery. In the latter, only the cancerous part is removed and not the whole breast. Mastectomy involves complete removal of the breast surgically. During the late stage of pregnancy, breast-conserving surgery may be prescribed.
- Radiotherapy – Women undergoing a mastectomy may not need radiotherapy later. However, radiotherapy is essential in breast cancer and pregnancy after breast-conserving surgery. Radiotherapy is not advised during the whole course of pregnancy because the even a small dose of radiation may carry a high risk to the baby.
- Hormone therapy – Hormone therapy alone or coupled with target breast cancer treatment (involving Herceptin and Tamoxifen) are advised after initial treatments to reduce the chance of recurrence of cancer. However, these methods are not advised during pregnancy or the period of breastfeeding.
- CANDROL – CANDROL is a modern therapy belonging to homeopathy immunotherapy practice. It is exclusively designed to tackle cancer and in many cases goes by conventional rules of homeopathy with regard to potencies, constitutional approach, in which palliation is absolutely needed and constitutes a single remedy system. This is not just the assertion made by a specialist or a group. This has been devised with the aid of leading world bodies and following the deliberations at international gatherings while they are constantly on the lookout for solution and consequences in pathological changes as that happens in cancer.
Among all the possible treatments available, CANDROL is getting more acceptance as the last hope for terminal cancer patients. It’s effective for early as well as advanced cases of breast cancer. Coupled with the conventional therapies, it’d be the best palliative in reducing the disease within a short span of time. Natural treatments for breast cancer are also becoming popular along with the rising awareness.
Pregnancy is the most critical period in your life. You need to take care of your health as well as the baby’s health. You need to stay conscious of any abnormal feeling. By abnormal, we mean if you feel, the changes are rather too much or more disturbing, see your physician. They will examine it, and advise the treatment if unfortunately you’re diagnosed with breast cancer. Go for any of the treatments as discussed here. And, given so many options, choose the best one that would make your life normal and healthy. It is also advised to go for regular check-ups, or you can also check your breast at home as well. Though with fleeting time, your body will show various changes, and at this point in time, any variation in breasts might be puzzling. Hence, it is advised to stay extra alert and discuss with the doctor, when in doubt. Also, do not take any sort of stress as that can affect the health of your baby.
Also Read: Herbs to Fight Against Breast Cancer
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