A woman gave birth despite a very rare uterine cancer diagnosis that affects one in one million women. Treatment of this uncommon condition is a hysterectomy, a surgical operation to remove the uterus, which means the woman cannot have a child anymore.
Uterine cancer baby: Whitney Everard gives birth at 26 after a rare uterine cancer diagnosis
Whitney Everard. Image: Today
At first, Whitney Everard felt the bleeding was as a result of a very bad period. But when the bleeding refused to stop, continuing for months even after she had changed her method of birth control, she went back to see the doctor. The doctor did some tests, plus an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a mass on her uterus, at which point they referred her to an oncologist who carried out a biopsy. Here they discovered, to the shock of many, that she had a rare condition known as uterine cancer. This means that Everard would never be able to carry children of her own.
“There were times when I was angry and there were times when I was just frustrated and every emotion,” Everard, now 28, told TODAY.
Uterine Cancer Baby: How did Everard end up having a baby?
Image: Today
The only effective treatment known for uterine cancer is a hysterectomy, which involves the complete removal of the uterus. Everard had an endometrial stromal sarcoma, a tumour the doctors spotted lodged into the muscle. This type of cancer makes up fewer than 0.2% of uterine cancers out of the 3% of women who will be diagnosed with uterine cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“They (sarcoma) are much more rare than the typical uterine cancers,” Dr Erin E. Stevens, a gynaecological oncologist in Wisconsin told TODAY. “There’s no way to get to that mass without removing it (the uterus).”
So how did Everard achieve her dreams of having a baby? She set out looking for research that didn’t involve a hysterectomy but found little information.
“There was nothing saying what would happen if I did eventually get pregnant,” she said. “It was frustrating because of the lack of information, or information stating the only treatment option is a hysterectomy. But they don’t know what will happen if I don’t have it.”
In the end, Dr Stevens helped Everard create a treatment plan that didn’t involve a hysterectomy. The surgery would be done in this case to remove the tumour, after which Everard would begin to take progesterone for four to six months. They expected the progesterone to stop any remaining cancer from getting fed and then growing. After completing the hormone therapy, Everard and her boyfriend Nathan Bittorf could try conceiving.
Everard felt like Dr Stevens was on her side, “I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to have a child because no one knew what would happen.”
Did Everard give birth to a healthy baby?
Whitney’s baby. Image: Today
During her pregnancy, the doctors worried that the increase in hormones might cause the cancer to return. However, on February 6, 2020, Everard delivered a healthy baby boy, William Lloyd Bittorf. In the course of her delivery, Stevens discovered that Everard was cancer-free. “That’s better than any imaging study that I can do,” Stevens said.
Although Everard is enjoying the gift of motherhood, she understands that she will need to have that hysterectomy soon even though she wants to have another biological baby. She is using her story to inspire other women who are in a similar place.
“I was 26 years old and I was told that I might never be able to have kids,” she said. “If I would have had a full hysterectomy, I would have regretted it. Be an advocate for yourself and make sure that you’re making the decisions that are best for you.”
Also read: The Safest UTI Pregnancy Natural Treatment That Protects Your Baby
Source: Today
