Re: Anesthesia in Pregnancy

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Here is the way I would think about this. Yes, there is a small chance that the anesthesia is unsafe for the baby, but that chance is really small. The situation you don't want to be in is to have to decide whether to keep a pregnancy or start chemotherapy if the growth turns out to be cancerous and aggressive. Yes, the growth is probably benign, so you are clearly looking at a whole lot of "maybe"s, but I have to say that I would opt for the operation. It's better for both of you in the long term.

In the meantime, I would sit down with an anesthesiologist at least a week prior to the operation and LET HIM/HER KNOW that you are pregnant. Then ask to go over all your options. Perhaps there is a way to operate under local anesthetic. Perhaps there is a way to lower the dosage, or to stick to drugs known to be less likely to harm a pregnancy. Ask around, see what you can find.

Best wishes to you and your unborn,

--
Katya (not a doctor, just a biochemist)

At Mon, 31 Mar 2003, Emily wrote:
>
>A few weeks ago I discovered a lump in my breast.  My doc thinks it's a
>harmeless fybroadenoma, but since my mom had breast cancer, we decided
>to remove it just to be sure.  When I scheduled the surgery, the surgeon
>said that the fact that I was trying to concieve shouldn't make a
>difference because there are anesthesia and pain medications that are
>safe.  Now that I know I'm really pregnant, I don't want to take any
>chances.  I had a mc last summer, and I don't want to do anything to
>hurt my new baby.  Are these "safe" alternatives really safe at 5 weeks,
>or should I cancel the surgery?
>
>Thanks,
>
>--
>Emily
>

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