Can IVF cause cancer? Opinion of medical experts
Recently, everyone was shocked by the news that the actress Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, beloved by many, is in intensive care with a diagnosis of brain cancer. A year ago, the star underwent an IVF procedure to give birth to her daughter Mila and many associate the disease with artificial insemination, or, more precisely, with the hormone therapy accompanying it. But is there really a link between IVF and cancer?
Anastasia Khabenskaya and Zhanna Friske, who also resorted to IVF, died of malignant brain tumors. Many consider this confirmation that artificial insemination is life-threatening. Rumors about doctors hiding the truth from patients led to the fact that many women who planned to give birth to a child in this way began to abandon their idea.
The best way to refute or confirm any information is to ask the opinion of reputable but independent experts. This is what we did by contacting specialized medical specialists and receiving three opinions that will help us make the right conclusion.
Before the in vitro fertilization procedure, women are often prescribed a course of strong hormonal drugs. This is necessary in order to help the body carry the unborn child. The hormones included in the course contribute to active cell division, which has caused rumors about the connection of therapy with the development of brain cancer.
But in reality, glioblastoma (brain cancer) is not related to hormones in any way, since it does not react to their content in the body in any way. Tumor cells do not even have receptors capable of interacting with these substances.
Studies of the effect of IVF on a woman's body have been conducted by scientists for more than 10 years. Doctors closely monitored the health status of women who underwent the procedure of artificial insemination and found out some patterns.
It turns out that IVF increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer at the initial, zero stage. This is due to the fact that these organs are the most susceptible to the effects of hormones. It is worth adding that the risk of cancer is quite small. The zero stage of cancer may not manifest itself for several years, but it is well treated. It is important not to overlook the onset of the disease, so after artificial insemination, you need to carefully monitor your health.
Doctors deny this possibility, but say that if there is a tumor, then its development can accelerate. The reason lies in the fact that the fetus consists of half of the father's genes, which are seriously different from the mother's. In order not to cause rejection, the mother's immunity temporarily decreases, which cancer can take advantage of.
A lot of the forces of the mother's body are spent on the production of hormones necessary for the development of the child. If the tumor was in the body before, then this factor can accelerate its growth. It is these factors that cause the development of oncological diseases in the mother after the birth of the child.
Keywords: Pregnancy | Hormones | Artificial insemination | Oncology | Cancer | Ivf