Natasha was a young, healthy woman with a fulfilling career and dreams of having children. She never imagined cancer would be the hurdle that stood in her way.
After trying to conceive for almost a year without luck, she underwent endometriosis surgery in the hopes of improving her odds. “I had a history of endometriosis, but I knew something else was off in my body,” Natasha remembers. Sure enough, the relatively minor procedure revealed a shocking diagnosis: stage 1 uterine cancer. In a split-second Natasha’s dream of becoming a mother turned into fear of infertility.
She began treatment at The Princess Margaret, under the care of Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Deljoomanesh. Fortunately, she was diagnosed early and her doctors were able to preserve her fertility. They opted to treat the cancer with hormone therapy instead of a hysterectomy. The plan was simple, they would use an Intrauterine Device (IUD) to deliver a localized progesterone hormone to the uterus in hopes of irradicating cancer cells. “The hope was that it would ‘melt away the cancer’,” said Natasha.
To ensure the best shot at conception, her care team worked in tandem with Dr. Glass at CReATe Fertility. Ultimately, the cancer treatment had to work before Natasha could try to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Her biopsies had to show that there were no signs of cancer for six consecutive months before she would be given the green light.
After a year of uncertainty, Natasha is happy to say that she and her partner Simon, are expecting their
first child. As if that isn’t incredible enough, the doctors confirmed that pregnancy allows Natasha to produce enough progesterone to keep the cancer at bay. “I’m so appreciative of the science and research that goes into treatment because of programs like The Princess Margaret Home Lottery,” said Natasha, “10 years ago, managing both [uterine cancer and fertility] wouldn’t have been possible.” She resumes check-ups this spring and has only just begun advocating for this under-funded cancer.