Join now

Already a member? Sign in

Welcome to Inspire!

What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.

Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.

How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!

corner corner corner

In need of hearing about getting pregnant after ovarian cancer

piper_80
0 Recommendations

I am 27 and I had exploratory surgery back in March of 2008. In the surgery they found a borderline serous (sp?) tumor on my left ovary and removed both the tumor and ovary. My onocologist said I can have children and should be able to with out any help. They are seeing me every 3 months and doing a ca-125 and the fabulous fun-filled physical that comes with it. He said that scar tissue may make it difficult to get pregnant. I don't know anyone with my same situation and would like to hear of some success stories. I am as positive as I can be. I just want to hear that it can happen.

Explore topics in this discussion:

Cancer Surgery Hysterectomy Childhood cancer Counseling Adoption Pregnancy Ovarian cancer Chemotherapy Menopause Clomid Infertility

32 replies

newgmomma

please be encourage my daughter was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian dysgermonoma a rare ovarian cancer at 17 she is now 19 they remove one ovary and the lymp nodes in stomache and the lining of stomache . my daughter is now expecting a baby any day now .just keep the faith .i was afraid of not having grands from her and then i just wanted her to live and be happy .its been ajourney .
we call her little miracle

liron

My name is Liron and I am 32 years old. I have just ended getting chemotherapy for ovary cancer (stage 3) a month ago. I do carry the gene BRCA 1 and also my grandmother, mother and aunt were all sick. Fortunate for us all, we are all healthy. I do not have kids yet and hope to get pregnant by using an egg donation. Do you know how long does it usualy take until you get green light from the doctors in order to start trying to get pregnant ?
Thanks in advanced,
Liron

moie_59

I think you might want to ask yourselves which is more important to you, getting pregnant or having a child? I went through infertility in my 30's. I had one child while I had 2 ovaries but only one falopian tube. Resolve is a wonderful infertility group that helped me alot. After years of trying to get pregnant again, I adopted a girl it was one of the best things I have done in my life. The funny thing is when I found out I had stage 3c ovarian cancer it was the only time I was glad I was not my daughters birth mother. My son is 17 now and my daughter is 12.

snowwhite83

Hi.
Today is the first time I have seen this site and I have been sitting here getting tearful as I have read the posts.

It is so nice to finally hear from people that are going through the same thing as me. I have been searching and searching for infromation but all oc sites I have found are usually about people who are past menopause.

I had stage llb oc diagnosed in August 2008 and had my left ovary removed. Am so desperate to have a child and have been trying since feb but no luck so far. It is so uplifting to hear success stories.

xxx

skallar

My borderline tumor was found while I was pregnant with my second daughter.

However, I had questions about fertility prior to having children because I had a childhood cancer and was told they just didn't know if I could conceive. So when I was getting fertility testing done at one point there was concern that ovary or ovaries and/or tube(s) might have to be removed. I had to make decisions ahead of the surgery based on what they saw. I was told at that time that it is not difficult for people with normal fertility to get pregnant with only one ovary and tube.

I want to say that the ladies made a good point about learning what the pregnancy hormones could or couldn't do as far as recurrence.

I want to put a plug in for the RESOLVE board. It is the infertility site here on inspire. It does have a lot of confusing acronyms and abbreviations, but there is a list now to decipher them and after awhile it gets easier. I think most people are on the getting started board. There are people who are years into treatment and onto IVF and not necessarily just getting started but stay on that board because it is supportive and it has a good pace.

A few women there have medical issues around fertility, but in my experience it is mostly women who were trying for some time and then got the testing and then the infertility diagnosis. I found them helpful because there are women there who really have been through all the earliest treatments or first line treatments (diet, nutrition, timing, eastern meds, massage, accupuncture, Clomid, etc.) and for some people those first line interventions can make a difference. For me it did and I was able to conceive quickly with the intervention I had going on. And time for me was an issue b/c of other medical issues and age. I think the information there definitely helped reduce the time and interventions I would have faced otherwise.

Also on that board is an adoption site. There are people who are considering it, deciding against it, have questions, waiting for a child, parents to adopted children.,, just a real good mix. I find that group of people to be very uplifting and helpful. They fully understand that for many it is not an easy decision whether to adopt and they respect people's thoughts and questions as others try to make decisions about whether it would work for them, their partner, extended family, etc.

Knowing fertility could be a concern did help me make life decisions. I had oncologists tell me that b/c of chemo for the lymphoma when I was 12 that it was hard to say whether I could or could not concieve children. However, for years I had gyn's say it wouldn't be a problem. In my case the oncologists were the ones who were right. I did pregnant but not on my own. The fact that I always felt uncertain met that when I was dating and when I metut the man who became my husband we had discussions about what it would mean to live child free and how we felt about adoption. It also meant that while we both would have preferred to wait to try for kids, we decided we would try immediately after getting married. Listening online to the stories of women who are shocked to learn they are infertile or have something like ovarian cancer suddenly end fertility makes me feel fortunate in at least having the time to process the idea of infertility.

Last, I don't know if this is true or not. When I looked into genetic testing it was my understanding that it could not stop me from being insured or keep me from being insured BUT it could be a reason to be denied life insurance.

Hope something in this long post helps.

Laura

mixy

I have a friend who only had one ovary removed and did not have a problem having a baby. She doesn't talk a lot about the details; but i think it was without any help. She now has a beautiful little girl who is going into pre-k. I know how important it is to hear good outcomes. She has also never had a recurrence and it has been many years. I am sending good,positive thoughts your way.

CA_Gab

Hi Piper-

I am 41 and had two surgeries tied to stage 1A, grade 1 ovarian cancer in Dec 08. My left ovary and left fallopian tube were removed and numerous biopsies were performed in an intense second staging surgery which did not find any other cancer. My right ovary is intact (but only after making sure no other cancer was found). I am now 5 weeks pregnant...
I know it will be one step at a time and we need to make sure baby is okay throughout pregnancy and I will also continue my post cancer screenings, too! But I was able to get pregnant and so I am hopeful and thankful.

BTW, my husband and I conceived on our own.. Although we had one doctor suggest IVF (due my age) and we did consult a fertility doctor for information on process...my husband and I were both a tired of medical procedures. We opted to give it try on own first. We did use a Clear Blue fertility monitor ($180 - 200 plus sticks) to help figure out when I might be ovulating, Two months into using this monitor we managed to get pregnant...(I think it helped us to know when to get together).

I hope this is of help to you in some way. Good luck to you and your family!

P.S. My dad (who I adored and lost to cancer in Dec 07') taught me to get busy living...so I am doing that! I only wish he was here to share my joy.

Sandiestar

Hi Piper,

I am in a similar postion to yourself after havng my right ovary removed with a stage 3a BOT I have been trying for the last 6 months to get pregnant however have had no success... I just went for my first post op scans and they have found another BOT on the remaining ovary... I see a fert dr next week to detrmine if they can save eegs before removing th ovary... they are also concerned I may not be producing eggs at this stage .. I see the Dr next week so I will let you know how it goes..

I relize your post was a while ago... have yo had any luck?

ChristyAnne

Hi Piper.

I had stage one level one ovarian cancer when I was about 23 years old. I am thin and athletic and have always had healthy habits. I had surgery to have one of my ovaries removed...at the time the doctors decided to leave my other ovary so I would have the opportunity to have children someday.

I am now about 6 months pregnant. Doctors told me because of my age that if I wanted to have children I should do it before I turned 30. Just before my 30th birthday I found out I was pregnant. Surprised, scared and over-joyed I found a doctor and began regular visits. I have since learned that I have two cysts developing...for a few months they were steady but now they have increased in size. Of course the oncologist wanted to jump into surgery. This is my only chance to have a baby and I decided that I was going to stick it out. At this point it seems too late in the game to me.

I wanted to respond to your post to let you know that it is possible. It happened for me when I wasn't thinking about it or really trying. My husband and I are really in love and I wasn't over-stressing about things in my life when it happened.

Good luck to you and stay positive.

darlingclem

When I was 11 they found a 3 pound tumor on my ovary. They removed the tumor, ovary, and fallopian tube. After I had intense doses of 3 different chemo therapies.

I have horrible scar tissue that gives me painful backaches and my surgeons feel the need to comment on how much there is every time I have surgery.

I'm 22 now, cured, and 3 weeks pregnant. No fertility drugs, didn't even know when I was ovulating, and it took 4 months.

:)

nurse75

Hi..I am new to this site and can't believe how many women are in the same boat as me! I was dx with a borderline tumor in 2007. I was pregnant with my son at the time and it was found on routine u/s. While I was pregnant it was assumed it was just a cyst and I was monitored. However, after he was born in 5/07 I had surgery in 7/07 and the "cyst" removed from my left ovary was found to be a borderline tumor. I was then referred to a a gyn/onc who I have been following with since. After my son was born I was on the BCP. I was monitored and nothing grew back. My husband and I then decided we wanted another child so I went off the pill and lo and behold I had an ultrasound a month later that showed masses on both my ovaries. This was in 9/08. I ended up having an exploratory lap for removal of both tumors in 12/08. Thankfully my doctor was able to save both my ovaries.

The dilema we are facing now is do I go off the pill to try and get pregnant and risk the tumors growing back or do we proceed with IVF? My doctor is pushing IVF to preserve my fertility but I have my doubts as won't all those meds stimulating my ovaries cause the tumors to grow back?? The problem is what if we don't get pregnant quick enough on our own the tumors grow back and per my doctor the next step is to remove both my ovaries. Then have I missed any chance of another baby?

Has anyone else struggled with this or have any advice? I am torn on what to do....

Thanks!

sympathetic

Hi Piper - I hope all is well. I would like to tell you my story. Hope it helps! I lost my right ovary and fallopian tube on Oct. 3 2008. I had a large cyst that ruptured and my ob/gyn couldn't save them. However, I was concerned that I could not conceive. I am already an unfertile person (Took 6 years to have 1st baby - 9 years later had second)I couldn't bear the thought that I would, by no choice of mine, never have another baby. HOWEVER, my surgery was Oct. 3rd and I was waiting to have my next menstrual cycle. Low and behold, I got pregnant 3 weeks after surgery. Please have hope. My prayers are with you!

lani

HI. so basically your sister had the baby naturally or through fertility? that gives me soo much hope to know that many women have had babies naturally after ovarian cancer and an ovary removed. Thanks for sharing your story. what about you? Are you going through anything?

Hil323

My cousin went in for a routine examine before she had her 1st baby. They found stage 1 cancer on her rt. ovary. She had the ovary removed and exploratory surgery to look for more cancer. After a year of clean CA-125s they gave her the green light to get pregnant. She had her baby, a c-section and a hysterectomy. She has never had a problem since. I know that genetic testing is a HUGE deal and something you should consider. But, whenever I play with either my aunt's daughter (my aunt passed away from the disease) or my cousin's son I can't really imagine them not having children because of a potential risk of cancer.

lani

Hi, I am in the same boat. I have been reading your blogs and they really are an encouragement to me. I am 24 years old and just diagnosed April 2008 with Stage 1A ovarian cancer. Had my right ovary and tube taken out, and shortly after my June 2008 surgery, I went through freezing 7 unfertilized eggs, which 5 were mature. It cost me $5000 out of pocket with insurance, but they only cover the implantation part, not the meds or retrieval. I went through an org I volunteer in called www.fertilehope.org and they paid for most of my med bills ($3000-$4000) and that was amazing.

I am single, college graduate in Int'l relations, and currently work full time as an admin, while doing pre reqs for a Masters in Nursing part time. Because of my diagnosis and the importance of always having great healthcare, I have decided to go into the practice myself so I am never without benefits and money incase I need to be checked again. Also, I want to help those in gyn onc and be a Nurse Practitioner. Sorry for ranting on, but my cancer has "inspired" me to fight it and use it in a positive light like all of your wonderful women have.

Now the biggest thing on my mind is whether or not I should get pregnant on my own with a sperm donor because I am afraid that if my tumor or cancer comes back before im married or find a significant other, my dream of having a baby will be taken away.

Any advice anyone? You are all in my prayers as well and I hope this wasnt too long and boring...

sblakeley

Your story is one i know all too well. i was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 26 (while pregnant) had surgery at 16 weeks to remove the r ovary and 16cm tumor with it. And now after all that and chemo i am thinking about baby number 2.... can someone point me to the area of this site about this?? Thanks!!

Nova

Thanks so much! If you end up having to go the same route as me don't hesitate to ask me any questions..stay positive!!

piper_80

Thank you Nova! It's so nice to have someone in the same boat as me. I am excited for you. I think everything will work out just wonderful for you guys. Maybe you'll get a visit from the ol' stork sometime next summer :) Keep me posted! I will pray for you.

Nova

Hi Piper,

I am kind of in the same situation as you, although I'm now 33. My cancer was found at 31 during gall bladder surgery. I don't have any children, so after recovering from the surgeries (gall bladder and ovary in the following month) my doctor let us try to get pregnant on our own, while monitoring my remaining ovary. Well, I had a few cysts in the first 6 months or so after the surgery. However, all of the cysts were normal cysts from ovulation, so nothing needed to be done. After the determination that the cysts were normal, I was told to try to get pregnant again on our own for 6 months. Well, nothing happened in the 6 months, so I went back to the infertility dr. He had me try Femara for 2 months and that didn't work either. I think with me the problem is scar tissue on my tube. So, now I'm about to go through invitro - I started taking some meds last week - everything should happen during Thanksgiving. So, I'm staying very positive and I think that this will work! So, stay positive --- If need be you can try invitro, if other options don't work.

piper_80

Thank you! I really appreciate all of the info. I am really intrigued and want to look more into this :)

Add to the discussion

Don't have an Inspire account? Join now!

Forgot password?

OCNA: @JanetJackson ABC Special with Janet Jackson tonight at 10:00pm EST http://www.ovariancancer.org/2009/11/18/abc-special-with-janet-jackson/

OCNA: You are invited to our Virtual Holiday Dinner Party! http://www.ovariancancer.org/party/

OCNA: We want to serve our community better. Please help us by taking a quick moment to fill out this survey. Thanks! http://tinyurl.com/yg634a4

OCNA: Kathy Bates opens up about her struggle with ovarian cancer (The Commercial Appeal) ... http://tinyurl.com/yj72xa5

OCNA: Nov.16 ice-skating show! Look for us at our booth as we continue to raise awareness of ovarian cancer Get tixs http://tinyurl.com/yf72hkm

Group leaders

You