One health care professional says that Christina is playing with fire by having a baby when her body was ravaged by cancer; others say because she had a double mastectomy she’s fine to procreate!
Is it safe for Christina Applegate to have a baby with fiancé Martyn Lenoble? One health care professional tells HollywoodLife.com that a pregnancy is completely dangerous for someone who’s undergone a double mastectomy, while others insist that, because she’s had both breasts removed, she shouldn’t be in any danger!
“With a BCRA gene positivity [meaning she has the breast cancer gene], Christina is really taking a gamble,” Newport Beach-based surgeon Dr. Lavinia Chong tells HollywoodLife.com. “Most people in her situation are advised to have their eggs sterilized and get oophorectomies [removal of the ovaries]. She could have a relapse in her original tumor.”
The doctor DOES say that the 38-year-old actress’ decision to get pregnant was probably premeditated, and she wouldn’t have risked her health without consulting her doctor. “She would not have decided to have a baby without speaking to her oncologist. It’s just too big a gamble,” Chong tells us. “It’s an unnecessary risk.”
Agrees a doctor at LA’s prestigious Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, “In certain cases, due to the increase in pregnancy-related hormones, there can be instances where cancer CAN reoccur.” However, the doc assures us, “This is a case to case instance. It depends on the severity of the cancer in the first place.”
However, Beverly Hills-based surgeon Dr. David Matlock, who’s a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, disagrees with Chong. “No, she isn’t at any risk at all,” he says dismissively. “There’s no contrary indication for her to get pregnant. Her risk is eliminated because of the double mastectomy. She’s cancer-free and not on medications. There’s no greater instance of fertility problems.”
Agrees Boston-based nurse Barbara Weakland, “As long as she is cancer free, then [getting pregnant] should be fine.”
Christina discovered she had cancer in 2007 when she tested positive for cancer in her left breast, going through six weeks of radiation instead of chemotherapy before she tested positive for the BRCA gene – otherwise known as the “breast cancer gene.” She was only given two options: go forward with the radiation treatments for the rest of her life or have both breasts removed. She chose the second option, and had the surgery in July of 2008.
To stay healthy during her pregnancy, the Cedars-Sinai-based physician tells us, “I would recommend the same to her as I would to women who haven’t suffered from cancer. Eat healthy, exercise regularly, take vitamins and get lots of sleep. For someone who has suffered breast cancer, the immune system might not be as strong and therefore, it is vital to take care of yourself.”
She’s currently cancer-free and recently engaged, as of Valentine’s Day. She announced her pregnancy today, July 21.
Laura Schreffler
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Cathy
Posted at 9:43 PM on July 21, 2010
Who is this yahoo doctor who thinks an oopherectomy is called an “ovariectomy”? We don’t know what Christina’s hormone status was on her tumor, but, if she’s like most BRCA positives – then she’s probably triple negative – meaning hormones wouldn’t have impacted her tumor. So pregnancy wouldn’t be any more dangerous to her than anyone else. Point is – people who don’t know shouldn’t judge.