CLEVELAND — Long after Breast Cancer Awareness Month is over, patients who have been diagnosed with the disease often carry the burden with them for years.

What You Need To Know

  • A recent trial showed that it was safe for women to stop an anti-hormone medication after cancer to attempt to get pregnant

  • One woman was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy during her first pregnancy 

  • Tamoxifen is used to prevent reoccurence in breast cancer patients

“I was almost five months pregnant when I found a very large mass on my right breast near my armpit,” said Jackie Shaw.

Shaw was diagnosed with stage two, triple-positive breast cancer while pregnant with her firstborn.

“Pure anxiety, stress, panic, thoughts of, ‘is my baby going to be OK?’” she said.

After undergoing chemotherapy during pregnancy, Shaw gave birth to healthy baby boy.

She said she couldn’t bear to shave her head so she was bald when she gave birth. She half-joked that being bald was the least favorite part of her life.

After giving birth, Shaw went through radiation and a lumpectomy and was placed on tamoxifen, a medication used for up to 10 years to treat and prevent a cancer reoccurrence. It’s not recommended that one get pregnant while taking the medication, but four years after having her son, Shaw wanted to grow her family.

“There was a really important study, the Positive Trial. It looked at (whether) it was (safe) for women with estrogen-driven breast cancer to interrupt their hormonal treatment or anti-estrogen medication for a period of time to allow their attempts at conceiving," said Dr. Erin Roesch, breast medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic. “Now we have data that showed us that it’s safe to interrupt anti-estrogen therapy to attempt becoming pregnant."

Roesch said this is not across the board and patients should talk to their doctor about individualized needs.

Shaw was able to stop her medication to try to have another baby. She said she worried about whether she would be able to get pregnant at all.

“But we were quickly successful, so we were blessed there,” she said.

This time around, she had a full head of hair and told herself she’d never cut it again. But that didn’t last.

“I grew it out for four years and while I was pregnant I cut it and donated it — 14 inches,” Shaw said.

She was still able to give birth to her second baby boy with a full head of hair.

“It’ll grow back,” she said with a smile.