Becoming a mother after breast cancer does not harm chance of surviving illness, study finds

‘It provides reassurance for the growing number of women who want to start or complete their families after breast cancer treatment,’ says professor

Data shows the age at which women are choosing to have children has risen in recent years which means more breast cancer patients will not have had kids when they get diagnosed, researchers noted (NCI\Georgetown Lombardi CCC, NIH)

Giving birth to a child after having breast cancer has no detrimental effect on the woman’s prospects of surviving the illness, according to a new study.

The report, carried out by the Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health, at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, found out the likelihood of overcoming breast cancer is also no worse in younger women or those who had never been pregnant before.

While a woman goes through pregnancy, the amount of estrogen and progesterone hormones in the body increase.

This is relevant as research has found the risk of breast cancer is linked to the large amounts of oestrogen and progesterone which a woman produces - with this triggering long-standing fears having a baby after getting breast cancer could make the illness more likely to come back or curb the chances of overcoming the disease.

Richard Anderson, the professor who led the research, said: “This analysis shows that having a baby after breast cancer doesn't have a negative impact on survival.

“It provides reassurance for the growing number of women who want to start or complete their families after breast cancer treatment.”

Researchers analysed patient details from the Scottish Cancer Registry and national maternity databases to find just over 5,100 women with breast cancer – with all the women being younger than 40-years-old and diagnosed between 1981 and 2017.

The study looked at some 290 women who had a baby after getting breast cancer – with all of these women found to have a higher chance of surviving the illness than those women who did not have a baby after being diagnosed with the disease.

Data shows the age at which women are choosing to have children has risen in recent years which means more breast cancer patients will not have had kids when they get diagnosed, researchers noted.

One in seven women in Britain will develop breast cancer at one point in their life – with one woman diagnosed every 10 minutes.

Breast Cancer Now calls for women to examine their breasts for cancer at least every six weeks as getting an early diagnosis can stop women dying from the illness. The charity notes those who need help can speak to their expert nurses by calling their free helpline on 0808 800 6000.