Women and pregnancy with leukemia

• April 28, 2024

Women and pregnancy with leukemia

According to researchers at the National Cancer Institute of the United States, a woman with leukemia can hardly get pregnant since its treatment includes chemotherapy that causes, temporary sterility and the likelihood of be sterile . Leukemia could also have consequences on the fetus. Although there is a slight chance of getting pregnant during chemotherapy, this situation should be avoided as some medications can cause birth defects. In fact, many doctors advise women of childbearing age to use methods for birth control during the entire duration of their treatment.

What happens if, while pregnant, a leukemia is diagnosed?

It can happen that a woman is diagnosed with leukemia while pregnant. In this case, it would be advisable delay chemotherapy until after birth of the baby. If the woman needs to undergo treatment before, it would be appropriate to start chemotherapy after the 12th week of pregnancy, when the fetus has passed the risk stage. There are two possibilities to take into account:

1. If the leukemia is diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy it is not recommended that this continue. Chemotherapy could damage the fetus preventing its normal development. This triggers a miscarriage because of the coagulation problems (few platelets in the mother's blood) that the leukemia may be causing. In case the abortion is not spontaneous, you can practice a controlled one in the hospital
2. If the leukemia is diagnosed later, risks to the fetus are much lower . It is usual to treat the patient with chemotherapy and, when the fetus is mature (around 8 months), it is necessary to induce labor, thus reducing the risks.

What happens if the leukemia patient is the father

Chemotherapy in the father can affect the sperm and this could cause an incorrect fetus formation, therefore it is advisable not to have sexual intercourse during the treatment.

Video Medicine: CML and pregnancy: Patient and partner considerations (April 2024).