› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Pregnancy AFTER diagnosis
- This topic has 15 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 7 months ago by
Lil0909.
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- August 30, 2016 at 5:20 pm
Has anyone here ever had a baby after being diagnosed with melanoma? Any reoccurrence? One dr told me no more babies and the dermatologist said she had never heard of that and she didn't see a problem with it. My husband and I want a big family and it is breaking my heart thinking of not having more kids. Please any advice or links would be helpful! I've been researching so much but can't find much information!
thanks everyone in advance!
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- August 30, 2016 at 6:22 pm
It would be helpful to know what your original diagnosis was? I was a 3C and got three different opinions. One said don't do it at all, one said wait a full 5 years just to be sure and the last said go for it at 2 years. It just wasn't in the cards for us and at 3 years I did advance to stage 4. I had a really hard time not giving my son a sibling but in hindsight I wish I would've just enjoyed what a miracle it was that I had him. To answer your question there are probably lots and lots of stage 1 survivors that went on to have more children but they aren't on the board any more. Take care
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- August 30, 2016 at 7:33 pm
I did not mean to post this anonymous! Idk how I did that. My original staging was 1b, after the SNB staging is unclear, my oncologist said I'm either a 1B OR 3A, I have a second opinion in 2 weeks
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- August 30, 2016 at 8:24 pm
Got it. I guess that would probably make a bit of a difference in my opinion just the statistical likelihood of recurrence between at 1B or a 3A. Its still very likely that you are done with melanoma forever. I would say the most important thing is to get your original diagnosis correct and go from there. Good thing you are getting a second opinion and don't be afraid to go for a third either. Just in my experience the two melanoma experts I saw didn't say no they just said this is the statistical likelihood you will recur in 2,3 or 5 years and that's why you would wait that amount of time. I think there are studies that show that melanoma post pregnancy is more aggressive, which in my case I was post pregnancy. Hopefully you will know more after your second opinion.
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- August 30, 2016 at 8:24 pm
Got it. I guess that would probably make a bit of a difference in my opinion just the statistical likelihood of recurrence between at 1B or a 3A. Its still very likely that you are done with melanoma forever. I would say the most important thing is to get your original diagnosis correct and go from there. Good thing you are getting a second opinion and don't be afraid to go for a third either. Just in my experience the two melanoma experts I saw didn't say no they just said this is the statistical likelihood you will recur in 2,3 or 5 years and that's why you would wait that amount of time. I think there are studies that show that melanoma post pregnancy is more aggressive, which in my case I was post pregnancy. Hopefully you will know more after your second opinion.
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- August 30, 2016 at 8:24 pm
Got it. I guess that would probably make a bit of a difference in my opinion just the statistical likelihood of recurrence between at 1B or a 3A. Its still very likely that you are done with melanoma forever. I would say the most important thing is to get your original diagnosis correct and go from there. Good thing you are getting a second opinion and don't be afraid to go for a third either. Just in my experience the two melanoma experts I saw didn't say no they just said this is the statistical likelihood you will recur in 2,3 or 5 years and that's why you would wait that amount of time. I think there are studies that show that melanoma post pregnancy is more aggressive, which in my case I was post pregnancy. Hopefully you will know more after your second opinion.
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- August 30, 2016 at 7:33 pm
I did not mean to post this anonymous! Idk how I did that. My original staging was 1b, after the SNB staging is unclear, my oncologist said I'm either a 1B OR 3A, I have a second opinion in 2 weeks
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- August 30, 2016 at 7:33 pm
I did not mean to post this anonymous! Idk how I did that. My original staging was 1b, after the SNB staging is unclear, my oncologist said I'm either a 1B OR 3A, I have a second opinion in 2 weeks
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- August 30, 2016 at 6:22 pm
It would be helpful to know what your original diagnosis was? I was a 3C and got three different opinions. One said don't do it at all, one said wait a full 5 years just to be sure and the last said go for it at 2 years. It just wasn't in the cards for us and at 3 years I did advance to stage 4. I had a really hard time not giving my son a sibling but in hindsight I wish I would've just enjoyed what a miracle it was that I had him. To answer your question there are probably lots and lots of stage 1 survivors that went on to have more children but they aren't on the board any more. Take care
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- August 30, 2016 at 6:22 pm
It would be helpful to know what your original diagnosis was? I was a 3C and got three different opinions. One said don't do it at all, one said wait a full 5 years just to be sure and the last said go for it at 2 years. It just wasn't in the cards for us and at 3 years I did advance to stage 4. I had a really hard time not giving my son a sibling but in hindsight I wish I would've just enjoyed what a miracle it was that I had him. To answer your question there are probably lots and lots of stage 1 survivors that went on to have more children but they aren't on the board any more. Take care
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- August 31, 2016 at 4:35 pm
I can tell you my story. I was diagnosed with Stage 1A in 2008 and had a wide excision with clear margins and no other treatments. My Derm said to wait a year for pregnancy. I waited a year and had two babies – one in 2010 and one in 2011. In Jan 2016 I progressed to Stage lllC and was treated with surgery, radiation and Yervoy. Just this month I progressed to Stage lV. This is just my story and there does not seem to be any concensus or research (that I could find in 2008) regarding pregnancy after a melanoma diagnosis. I also know melanoma patients who have had babies post diagnosis and have not progressed. It's just really seems to be an unknown at this time. Christal
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- August 31, 2016 at 4:35 pm
I can tell you my story. I was diagnosed with Stage 1A in 2008 and had a wide excision with clear margins and no other treatments. My Derm said to wait a year for pregnancy. I waited a year and had two babies – one in 2010 and one in 2011. In Jan 2016 I progressed to Stage lllC and was treated with surgery, radiation and Yervoy. Just this month I progressed to Stage lV. This is just my story and there does not seem to be any concensus or research (that I could find in 2008) regarding pregnancy after a melanoma diagnosis. I also know melanoma patients who have had babies post diagnosis and have not progressed. It's just really seems to be an unknown at this time. Christal
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- August 31, 2016 at 4:35 pm
I can tell you my story. I was diagnosed with Stage 1A in 2008 and had a wide excision with clear margins and no other treatments. My Derm said to wait a year for pregnancy. I waited a year and had two babies – one in 2010 and one in 2011. In Jan 2016 I progressed to Stage lllC and was treated with surgery, radiation and Yervoy. Just this month I progressed to Stage lV. This is just my story and there does not seem to be any concensus or research (that I could find in 2008) regarding pregnancy after a melanoma diagnosis. I also know melanoma patients who have had babies post diagnosis and have not progressed. It's just really seems to be an unknown at this time. Christal
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- September 14, 2016 at 12:45 pm
This is a really late reply – but just wanted to say that I'm right there with you. I was diagnosed 3A at 29 – and was engaged to my now husband. I'm actually lucky that I was diagnosed when I was and didn't try ot have babies before diagnosed, b/c who knows where I would be today. My Dr said 3 years was a good number for reduced risk of recurrance. I'm a few months away from that marker, and I know I really want to have babies. But it's def a little scary.
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- September 14, 2016 at 12:45 pm
This is a really late reply – but just wanted to say that I'm right there with you. I was diagnosed 3A at 29 – and was engaged to my now husband. I'm actually lucky that I was diagnosed when I was and didn't try ot have babies before diagnosed, b/c who knows where I would be today. My Dr said 3 years was a good number for reduced risk of recurrance. I'm a few months away from that marker, and I know I really want to have babies. But it's def a little scary.
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- September 14, 2016 at 12:45 pm
This is a really late reply – but just wanted to say that I'm right there with you. I was diagnosed 3A at 29 – and was engaged to my now husband. I'm actually lucky that I was diagnosed when I was and didn't try ot have babies before diagnosed, b/c who knows where I would be today. My Dr said 3 years was a good number for reduced risk of recurrance. I'm a few months away from that marker, and I know I really want to have babies. But it's def a little scary.
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