#PINKOCTOBER
According to official WHO data, breast cancer is a very common tumor that affected more than 2.2 million women in 2020. Breast cancer usually occurs in women at any age after puberty in all countries of the world, but the most common causes tend to occur in adulthood.
This type of cancer is not a transmissible or infectious disease. Unlike some cancers that are caused by infectious processes, such as the human papillomavirus virus (HPV) and cervical cancer, there are no known viral or bacterial infections associated with the diagnosis of this type of cancer.
About half of breast cancer cases correspond to women with no identifiable risk factors other than gender (female) and age (over 40 years old). In recent years, a greater number of breast cancers have been associated with men, although it is still more common in women.
WHAT FACTORS AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS CANCER?
Some factors increase the risk of developing breast cancer, such as ageing, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age of first menstruation and age of first pregnancy), tobacco use and post-menopausal hormone therapy, among others. Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help detect it in its early stages, when it is easier to treat.
FERTILITY PRESERVATION
The possibility of a patient being able to become pregnant naturally after cancer treatments have been completed depends on her not suffering irreversible ovarian damage. Fertility preservation or egg freezing, as it is colloquially known, is an assisted reproduction treatment to preserve patients’ “young” eggs so that they can become mothers in the future.
At Ovoclinic, our medical team always recommends patients of childbearing age (20-35 years) who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to preserve their fertility before starting chemotherapy and drugs treatment.
To do this, if the patient wishes to freeze her eggs, it is important that her ovarian reserve can be assessed with a list of tests in order to have the option of preserving them until she decides to become a mother.
EGG DONATION AND EMBRYO ADOPTION
In addition, egg donation and/or embryo adoption are other alternatives in assisted reproduction if it is not possible for the patient to freeze her eggs through a fertility preservation treatment.
Egg donation allows women with fertility problems to become pregnant thanks to donor eggs. This treatment is carried out through in vitro fertilisation, in which the donor’s eggs are used together with the partner’s sperm. If the woman’s situation is different from the above and she decides to become a mother on her own, this treatment can be carried out with donor sperm.
Another alternative is embryo adoption. This treatment consists of transferring embryos donated by patients who have already achieved their goal and who wish to help other women or couples to achieve a pregnancy.
At Ovoclinic, we have launched the #PinkOctober campaign throughout this month to give visibility to breast cancer with various actions that you can see on our Instagram profile.
Our team of professionals will always be available for you. If you have any questions, please contact us by phone, WhastApp, email… or if you prefer a closer manner, visit us at the clinic, we will be waiting for you with open arms.
