Being able to produce a healthy child is a wonder of the female body. Many women cherish the day that they can bring new life into the world. Challenges face this wonder when cancer development is part of the woman's life. With National Women’s Health Week approaching (Mother’s Day), learn more about cancer and its link to asbestos exposure. Lung cancers, including mesothelioma, can be the result of certain environmental factors.
Where Does Mesothelioma Come From?
Mesothelioma is technically a rare form of lung cancer. It stems from asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a fibrous substance that was used extensively in structures of the past for its heat-resistant qualities. Women's risk factors include workplace exposure or living in the same home with a partner who brings asbestos home on the clothes or shoes.
In fact, recent studies suggest that asbestos fibers can remain as dust in the household where women are constantly exposed to them. As asbestos triggers cancer tumors, women's fertility becomes an issue.
Understanding the Fertility Aspect
The hopeful aspect to fertility and cancer is the fact that a diagnosis doesn't automatically cause infertility. Women have a choice with their reproductive systems as this point. They can still have children, but extensive planning must be part of the treatment.
Infertility stems from cancer treatment and not the tumors themselves. The asbestos fibers that were breathed in over the years have impacted the lungs. Cancer may be present in this area, but the reproductive organs are still strong and viable for supporting a child.
Fighting Back With Advanced Medicine
Science has linked infertility to asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, but women have definite choices. As soon as women know about their diagnoses, discussions should begin about saving eggs. Placing the eggs in a frozen state preserves them until a later date. It ultimately saves them from any infertility issues.
The eggs must be removed before cancer treatment. Radiation and chemotherapy are the reasons why women deal with infertility in the first place. The treatment that rids the body of tumors is just too strong for the delicate eggs. Removing them for fertilization later on is the best chance for a fertile future.
Looking Ahead to Future Children
Women have a good chance at regaining their health through early diagnoses and aggressive treatments. Those frozen eggs can now be put to good use. The patient may be healthy enough to carry the child as a normal pregnancy. Doctors simply implant fertilized eggs into the woman.
Cancer treatment can be rough, however, which may lead to some complications. Keep hope on your side because surrogacy is an option. The woman's egg can be fertilized and implanted into a willing surrogate. New life overshadows the ailment now.
So many advancements have made it possible to fight off lung cancer. Take a moment during National Women’s Health Week to recognize these leaps toward a healthier future. Women can bring a child to term with attention to their health across the years. Don't let cancer define the child-bearing years. Infertility is a challenge that can be managed.