In Lviv, 33-year-old Maria, who had undergone two cancer diagnoses and complex surgery to remove part of her digestive system, gave birth to a son naturally. Specialists from three medical facilities of the First Medical Association of Lviv were involved in managing the patient at various stages.
The first symptoms of the disease appeared at the beginning of 2021 after a bout of COVID-19. Maria developed severe abdominal pain and fluid began to accumulate rapidly, causing her abdomen to increase sharply in size. She was urgently admitted to St Panteleimon Hospital, where she underwent surgery and was diagnosed with colon cancer.
About six months passed after the surgery and a course of chemotherapy. However, in March 2022, a planned examination revealed another oncological process — stomach cancer, which was rapidly progressing and affecting neighbouring organs. A team of surgeons at St Panteleimon Hospital performed open surgery lasting 10 hours, during which they removed the tumour along with part of the stomach, small and large intestine, part of the pancreas and the gallbladder.
After the operation, Maria spent six days in intensive care under the constant supervision of anaesthetists. Ahead lay a lengthy recovery with drains, a strict diet, courses of chemotherapy and 25 sessions of immunotherapy. Despite the gruelling treatment, she tried to remain active and continued working to help her cope with this psychologically challenging period.
The aggressive therapy had a serious impact on the patient's reproductive system: she developed medically induced menopause, and for almost three years she had no periods. When her cycle partially returned, her anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) test showed 0.3 — a critically low ovarian reserve. Doctors assessed her chances of conceiving naturally as extremely low. They also considered the option of in vitro fertilisation, but because of the recent cancer diagnosis and intensive treatment, the possibility of hormonal stimulation required a separate, carefully weighed decision by the medics.
Maria and her husband Oleh have been together for 12 years and had long planned to have a child. Despite the bleak forecasts, at the beginning of the year she suspected she might be pregnant because of a missed period and took a test, which was positive. During the first ultrasound scan, the couple immediately sent the image of the embryo to the oncologists who had been treating her.
Doctors at the First Medical Association of Lviv note that the pregnancy required especially close monitoring, as after extensive surgery and the removal of part of the digestive organs, the woman's body was working under increased strain. The expectant mother was monitored by specialists from different fields, including obstetrician-gynaecologists, oncologists, surgeons and anaesthetists.
At the end of September, in the maternity department of St Nicholas Hospital, Maria gave birth to a son, whom his parents named Yarema. The baby was born naturally. Mother and child are currently under medical supervision, and their condition is assessed as satisfactory.
The First Medical Association of Lviv stresses that this outcome was made possible thanks to the patient's own determination, the support of her family and the well-coordinated work of a team from three units: the women's health centre at the Mazepy treatment and diagnostic centre, St Panteleimon Hospital and the St Nicholas Children's Hospital.
The Association notes that it provides a full range of modern medical care — from diagnostics and conservative treatment to complex surgery, rehabilitation and prosthetics, as well as saving patients in the most critical conditions. Its structure includes St Panteleimon, St Luke, St Nicholas and St Anna Hospitals, the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre and treatment and diagnostic centres.