The possibility of having a healthy pregnancy and maintaining one’s own health is an issue that comes up again and again for young women who are affected by Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC) and are contemplating prophylactic total gastrectomy.
Pregnancy and Assisted Reproduction
“Although scientific data are lacking concerning the timing of prophylactic gastrectomy and family planning, it is entirely possible for women to give birth to a healthy child after gastrectomy. Nutritional advice and follow-up with a dietician within this context is essential.
Individuals from hereditary cancer families are frequently concerned about the transmission of their predisposition to cancer to their children. Healthcare professionals, including geneticists and psychosocial workers, will be increasingly involved in discussions and decisional counseling regarding reproductive options in families with a known cancer-predisposing mutation such as CDH1. In the past decades, genetic testing for hereditary cancers before birth has become available through prenatal diagnosis (PND) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). We recommend that carriers of a CDH1 mutation with a desire to have children should be informed about all reproductive options, including PND and PGD.”
Read the latest clinical guidelines
Pregnancy After Prophylactic Total Gastrectomy
Planning a Post Gastrectomy Pregnancy, by Teresa Feeney
References
Vogelaar IP, van der Post RS, Carneiro F, Guilford P, Huntsman D, et al. Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer: updated clinical guidelines with an emphasis on germline CDH1 mutation carriers. J Med Genet. 2015;00:1-14.