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Medical Video: Breast Cancer in Pregnancy | Gina's Story
Breasts will experience extraordinary changes when a woman is pregnant. When breasts develop milk ducts for breastfeeding, breast size will be larger than usual. The breast tissue will also feel firmer. Changes like this can complicate the diagnosis of breast cancer. Concern about the effect on the baby is also often a limitation of cancer diagnosis. Several studies have proven how breast cancer is often detected during pregnancy.
Signs of breast cancer during pregnancy
Most breast cancer is diagnosed during the first pregnancy with the appearance of a breast lump but does not cause pain, most of the other lumps found during pregnancy do not include cancer.
To make sure the lump that grows on the breast is not cancer, this lump needs to be tested and notified to the doctor. This information must be immediately submitted to the doctor and do not wait until the breastfeeding period stops.
Do you need to have a lump in the breast if someone is pregnant? Which tests will be safe for mother and baby?
Mammogram
Treatment of mammograms during pregnancy can be considered in women who have problems with their breasts.
According to the American Cancer Society, a mammogram is a fairly safe treatment for pregnant women. Some radiation is needed for mammograms and will focus on the breast so most mammograms will not reach other parts of the body. As extra protection, a barrier will be placed on the stomach to block the emission of radiation. Screening mammography in women does not cause certain symptoms during pregnancy.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is considered a safe way to see the state of the breast in pregnant women. Ultrasound is usually used before doing mammography because it functions as an evaluation of the lump that appears. Whether in pregnant or not pregnant women, ultrasound is an accurate way to find out what is in the lump, whether cancerous or not. Ultrasound is also a more accurate way to distinguish types of lumps in the breast. If the lump is solid, the lump is breast cancer.
MRI
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, the safety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during pregnancy cannot be established. But most studies looking at MRI during pregnancy are not a problem. MRI is also usually used to examine breast lumps in pregnant women. Consult your doctor whether this type of test is safe or not.
Biopsy
To diagnose breast cancer in both pregnant and non-pregnant women, the doctor must remove a small portion of the lump in the breast. This procedure is called a biopsy. This biopsy process raises a lump using a needle or also performed by surgical removal of the entire lump. Biopsies performed on the breast during pregnancy are usually included in outpatient treatment. The doctor will use anesthesia in the area of the breast to be biopsied. Biopsies also include medications that have little risk to the baby.
Biopsy with a needle is included safely given to women who are breastfeeding. The risk of infection in excisional biopsy is higher because milk will probably hit the part of the breast that will be operated on. If milk is about the breast area, it must be dried first with a fine needle.
