Obstetrics/Gynaecology Medical Specialist, Dr. Ama Kaki Ghunney has stated that a pregnant woman infected with cervical cancer is at risk of losing her baby.
In an interview with Mrs. Eunice Tornyi, on the African Women’s Voices aired on e.TV Ghana, the doctor explained: “Most women who are pregnant want to keep the baby. If you do not want to keep the baby, that’s another story. So it gets tricky because it depends on the stage at which we catch the cervical cancer, how many months pregnant you are or which trimester you are in. It also depends on what stage of cervical cancer. If it’s a more aggressive stage like stage 2, stage 3, or stage 4, you do not have a lot of time. You need to be treated immediately. But that may mean that we may need to terminate the pregnancy, if it’s a very early pregnancy”.
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She further commented that women who will want to keep the pregnancy after contracting cervical cancer must have their babies monitored to confirm if the babies have a great chance of survival after the cancer is treated.
“If after rigorous counselling you want to continue with the pregnancy, then we will have to treat you immediately after the lungs of the baby have matured and we know the baby has a great chance of survival when its outside the uterus”, she added.
She advised that women should involve their partners in the screening and treatment of cervical cancer.
“You may forget to go for screening every three years but if your partner remembers then you can go for checkup. So it’s important that everyone gets on board”, she added.
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs at the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina, known as the Cervix. This cancer is sexually transmitted infection caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah