Not every woman has the same medical history. Facing a tough illness, disease or injury can be hard enough, but when a woman later questions her fertility, the stress can increase dramatically. In many cases, illness, disease and injury will not affect the ability to become pregnant, but that is not always the case.
Am I Able to Get Pregnant After Cancer?
If the cancer treatment included chemotherapy and / or radiation, the chances of becoming pregnant naturally are greatly reduced. These cancer treatments radiate eggs causing death. Women do not produce eggs like men produce sperm. The store of eggs a woman has to pull from for pregnancy is limited. At birth, women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. Women can get pregnant after chemotherapy and / or radiation. If cancer treatments are planned, eggs can be harvested and frozen for later use. If, for some reason, a cancer survivor cannot carry a baby to term, the eggs can be used for surrogacy.
Am I Able to Get Pregnant After a Spinal Injury?
Spinal injuries do not typically affect fertility. If a portion of the body is no longer functional or paralyzed, the internal organs are still fully functional, in most cases. In the case of lower body paralysis, women are often surprised to find out they can carry a baby to term and give birth naturally, without a C-section. Contractions of the uterus are involuntary and have nothing to do with the spinal cord. While the spinal cord blockage that causes a break in communication between the lower body and brain may affect mobility, it does not affect involuntary actions. An epidural is often to prevent the body from overreacting to contractions because of the lack of brain / spinal cord communication.
Am I Able to Get Pregnant If I’m HIV Positive?
Yes, if there are no other physical conditions preventing pregnancy, you are still fertile. HIV can pass from mother to fetus, so there is a question of safety for baby. The physical impact of pregnancy may cause health issues as well. Treatments are available for infants and pregnant women to help prevent the spread of HIV to the fetus. These are not 100% effective. If HIV has advanced to AIDS, pregnancy is not suggested.
Am I Able to Get Pregnant After a Hysterectomy?
This answer depends on the type of hysterectomy performed. If the uterus is removed, there is no chance of getting pregnant. There is ongoing research in the field of uterus transplantation, but this is not an option for women at this time. If the uterus is left intact and one ovary and fallopian tube are functional, there is a chance for pregnancy though it may take a bit longer to get pregnant for some women.