“Eagerly waiting… Successful natural pregnancy and delivery while fighting cancer”[병을 이겨내는 사람들]

Professor Oh Soo-young of Samsung Seoul Hospital – High-risk childbirth Seo Seung-hyun
Two surgeries for endometrial cancer before pregnancy… Natural pregnancy achieved just before IVF
Hospitalized 4 times due to cervical incompetence, etc.… Premature birth at 27 weeks, daughter discharged 2 months later
Seo’s Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure Recover to Normal Levels… “High-Risk Pregnant Women Absolutely Need Husband Support”

High-risk mother Seo Seung-hyeon (right) gave birth to her daughter in her 27th week of pregnancy while fighting against various diseases including cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cervical incompetence. Professor Oh Soo-young of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Samsung Seoul Hospital, who was in charge of Seo’s treatment, said, “It seems that Seo’s bright personality led to a good outcome.” Courtesy of Samsung Seoul Hospital

Ms. Seo Seung-hyeon (37) gave birth to her first daughter in July of this year. The process was difficult. First of all, she was pregnant at an advanced age, already had diabetes, and was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. After becoming pregnant, she developed several additional diseases, including high blood pressure, obesity, hypothyroidism, and cervical incompetence. She is a typical high-risk mother.

Preeclampsia also appeared. Preeclampsia is caused by high blood pressure. In the early stages, only blood pressure rises, but as it progresses, edema, headaches, and visual disturbances may occur. Sometimes, convulsions may occur. If preeclampsia is severe, blood flow to the placenta or fetus may not be properly supplied, which may lead to a fatal situation in which the fetus stops growing or dies.

Ms. Seo overcame adversity and gave birth to a baby. Although she was born prematurely at 27 weeks, the baby grew up well without any problems. On the 12th, she was discharged from the hospital, a long-awaited decision. Professor Oh Soo-young of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Samsung Seoul Hospital, who treated Ms. Seo, said, “She faced many difficulties, but she overcame them all.”

● Fighting Endometrial Cancer

It was November 2021. My period started as it usually did. However, it was longer than usual. The amount of bleeding also increased dramatically. “It felt like blood was pouring out,” Seo said.

I thought these symptoms would disappear quickly, but they lasted for two weeks. Ms. Seo went to a local OB/GYN clinic just in case. I got a biopsy. The doctor had a serious expression. He wrote a medical report and told me to go to a larger hospital because my condition was not good. Ms. Seo had a gut feeling that it was cancer. However, she wasn’t too scared. She thought that if she got treatment quickly, it would be fine. Ms. Seo recalled that time, saying, “Crying a lot won’t solve the problem. I thought it was important to come to my senses and deal with it.”

Ms. Seo went to Samsung Seoul Hospital. As expected, it was endometrial cancer. The size of the cancer was about 1.2cm. It was diagnosed as stage 1. Since the cancer was certain, surgery could not be delayed. After receiving outpatient treatment, Professor Lee Jeong-won of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology immediately began the surgery three days later. He performed a so-called hysterectomy, which scrapes out the cancer from the endometrium. In the case of women of childbearing age, surgery to completely remove the uterus is not usually performed. In order to preserve the uterus after checking the possibility of pregnancy, only the cancerous tissue is scraped out. Ms. Seo also had a hysterectomy because she planned to have children.

Women of childbearing age do not receive chemotherapy after surgery, but instead undergo hormone therapy. Ms. Seo did the same. While undergoing hormone therapy, a biopsy was performed every three months to check for additional cancer. Usually, if there are no abnormalities after six months, it is considered cured and pregnancy is permitted. However, Ms. Seo did not do that. Six months later, the cancer was discovered again. This meant that it was not yet completely cured. Ms. Seo had to repeat the same treatment as six months ago.

In December 2022, the biopsy showed no abnormalities. Everything was normal. The medical team ended the first treatment. Usually, if this treatment does not improve after a year, surgery to remove the hysterectomy is considered.

● I succeeded in getting pregnant naturally, but

The Seo couple wanted a baby. That was why they preserved their uterus instead of removing it. After enduring a year of treatment, they were finally able to conceive and give birth. However, the baby did not arrive right away. The Seo couple also considered in vitro fertilization. While they were thinking about this, they got pregnant naturally in January 2024. The world could not have looked brighter. From then on, Seo began receiving treatment from Professor Oh.

According to Professor Oh, Ms. Seo is a high-risk mother. First of all, she is over 35 years old and is a first-time mother. She has completed primary treatment for endometrial cancer, but it is still more than three years until she is cured. She is still a cancer patient. In addition, she was diagnosed with diabetes two years before she was diagnosed with cancer.

After I got pregnant, my health got worse. I developed hypothyroidism first. My blood pressure started to rise. I gained weight. My blood sugar level also increased. I started to show symptoms of preeclampsia. I ended up having to be hospitalized.

In May of this year, when she was 18 weeks pregnant, Ms. Seo was first hospitalized. She was diagnosed with cervical incompetence. This is a disease in which the cervix becomes weak and opens. The amniotic membrane can be seen through the open uterine opening or some of it can protrude. This can easily lead to miscarriage or premature birth. Professor Oh performed a surgery to suture the cervix.

After that, the same thing happened again. I had to go to the hospital almost every month. In June, I had stomach pain and had to go to the hospital again. It was the same disease. In July, it was the same. I went through this process of being admitted and discharged.

Her physical condition rapidly worsened from the 25th week of pregnancy. When systolic blood pressure exceeds 140 mmHg, it is considered high blood pressure, and Seo’s blood pressure rose to 180 mmHg. Pregnant women can also develop diabetes that they didn’t have before. This is called gestational diabetes. Seo’s blood sugar level rose to 230 mm/dL around this time. Normally, when pre-meal blood sugar exceeds 126 mm/dL, it is diagnosed as diabetes. In addition, her whole body swelled. As her body swelled, she gained 20 kg in a week. The swelling was so severe that her flesh wouldn’t pop out when pressed with a finger.

● Premature birth at 27 weeks

It was the 10th day after Ms. Seo was hospitalized for the fourth time. Her stomach started hurting. Professor Oh thought it could lead to premature labor. It really did. She started having labor pains in the early morning hours of her 27th week of pregnancy. Ms. Seo gave birth to a daughter through natural childbirth. Professor Oh said, “If she had had a cesarean section because she had many complications such as high blood pressure and diabetes, the mother’s recovery would have been much slower, but natural childbirth was possible because the baby’s head was facing down.” The baby weighed 800g. Usually, by 27 weeks, she should weigh 1kg. The fetus’s development was somewhat delayed. She began taking care of the baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

When a baby is born normally, he or she bursts into tears. This is evidence that he or she is breathing. If the lungs do not grow properly, the baby cannot breathe on his or her own. In this case, breathing is assisted through various methods such as endotracheal intubation or oxygen therapy. In the case of Mr. Seo’s baby, his or her lung function was about 70-80%. Oxygen therapy was started immediately. The baby’s vitality was strong. Surprisingly, he or she began breathing on his or her own without the help of any other equipment in just one day.

On the 12th, Seo Seung-hyun’s daughter was discharged from the hospital. Seo said, “I was very worried because my baby was born prematurely, but I am thankful that she grew up healthy.” Provided by Samsung Seoul Hospital

His weight also increased rapidly, and he was close to 2kg. He was taken out of the intensive care unit and received care in a general ward. He ate both milk and breast milk well. He had no problem sucking on a bottle by himself. Professor Oh said, “He was born prematurely, but he is returning to normal very quickly.” On the 12th, Seo’s baby was finally discharged in good health.

● Husband’s support is really important

Ms. Seo still visits the hospital every two to three months to check the status of her diseases, such as endometrial cancer and diabetes. Her body has become much healthier. The swelling has almost completely disappeared. Her weight has also dropped to a similar level as before pregnancy. There are also changes. She had never exercised before. After getting sick and going through the difficult process of giving birth, she realized the importance of exercise. These days, she walks for 30 minutes every day. Thanks to this, her blood sugar and blood pressure are also dropping.

Both Professor Oh and Ms. Seo smiled, saying, “The process was difficult, but the result was a happy ending.” Professor Oh said, “Ms. Seo’s bright personality must have helped her overcome adversity.” Professor Oh added, “I see many high-risk mothers in my clinical practice, and the less worried and comfortable the patient is, the better the outcome. Of course, it also has a much better effect on the fetus. There is no need to worry about something that has not even happened.”

Seo also had similar thoughts. Seo said, “When I was having a hard time, I would frown or be cold, and my body would hurt more. I tried to smile and talk on purpose and not think of negative thoughts. I’m glad that everything got better after doing that.”

Professor Oh said that the husband’s role is also very important. Professor Oh emphasized, “High-risk mothers endure all the pain with maternal love. At such times, the husband’s support is absolutely necessary.”

2024-09-14 00:29:21