Hi Lynn,
A caring forum member alerted me to your question about pregnancy during bladder cancer. I was 36 when initially diagnosed in 1994. Low grade Ta. I became pregnant and had my son (now 9) in 1998 (4 years into bladder cancer). I didn't ask first - it was just right. I found out I was pregnant the day I was to begin my first BCG instillation. Cancelled the BCG until after my son was born and until after I was done breast feeding. My bladder cancer history until that point (the first 3-4 years) was persistent recurrences almost every 3 - 6 months with TURBs each time. I am sure my uro was concerned about recurrences when he heard the news. The Amazing thing is that my bladder was the healthiest it had ever been during the entire pregnancy and during breast feeding. According to my uro, it looked completely healthy, pink, and normal. Things were taken care of. Never experienced that again. As soon as breastfeeding was done almost a year later, I began having recurrences again. Over the next several years until 2004, they progressed in grade to grade 3 plus CIS. Thus I opted for bladder removal with a neobladder. The rest?....well another chapter. So, to answer your question: yes. By the grace of God, I did have a wonderful, precious child in the midst of this mess who is the gift and the fuel beneath my fight to this day.
I don't know what would have happened if my bladder wasn't temporarily healed during my pregnancy (I also believe there is something to progesterone and healthy urothelium membrane). There is another couple on the webcafe email list (Tom & Alana) who found out she had T1 bladder cancer during pregnancy a couple/few years ago. It was pretty intense. They were able to hold off on treatment for a few months until after the birth of their second little blessing. They are busy living their lives so don't hear much from them at the moment but it's my understanding she remains cancer free. Knowing Tom, I am sure he will be happy to share with you if you search the archives for his (Tom Steinmetz) posts a couple of years ago (
listserv.acor.org/archives/bladder-cancer-cafe.html).
I know that not all urologists choose to do a TURB at the first sign of every low-grade recurrence. There are a few studies supporting this approach. Mentally, it would be a tough one for me to have had to follow but still something to keep in mind.
thinking about you,
Wendy R.