Breast cancer survivors have little fear- pregnancy does not mean recurrence is near!

Breast cancer is something that every woman at one point in her life is worried about. Even though women try to follow precautionary screening steps such as getting mammograms or doing self-exams feeling for lumps, concern seems to be inevitable. 
Studies by the National Cancer Institute speculate that breast cancer will increase by 50% by 2030. According to a senior cancer epidemiology expert, Philip Rosenberg, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Moreover, the average age at which women have children has been rising in the US and more women are being diagnosed with breast cancer during these years. Of the several kinds of breast cancer that occur, the good news is that ER-negative tumors, or those that do not respond to estrogen and thus are more difficult to treat, seem to be on the decline.
These  important observations reflect the immense money, time, and research that go into combating this disease.

Cancer survivors are some of the most resilient, inspiring, powerful women. That being said, life following cancer remission does not necessarily need to be devoid of the ability to start a family. A recent research study conducted in Chicago followed 1,200 breast cancer survivors of whom many had estrogen fueled tumors. Of these women, 333 became pregnant a couple of years after their diagnosis and were compared with their non-pregnant counterparts. The study found that 12 years after conception, breast cancer recurrence rates were similar. Moreover, information regarding breastfeeding from 64 of the mothers indicated that many were able to successfully breastfeed post surgery. Additional studies are being conducted regarding pregnancy while taking hormone blocking drugs like tamoxifen.

Studies like the one from Chicago offer a big sigh of relief to many soon-to-be moms! Give a shoutout to your superwoman, survivor, mother!