Ovarian cancer in children, does it make it difficult to get pregnant as adults?

There are various health problems that can attack the female reproductive organs, one of which is ovarian cancer. A woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer will increase with age, especially if she has a previous pregnancy history. But what if this is suffered by children? Can ovarian cancer in girls make it difficult for her to have children?

Can ovarian cancer in girls occur?

Reporting from the Healthline page, the American Cancer Society (ACS) states that ovarian cancer is very rare in women under 40 years of age. In fact, as many as 50 percent of ovarian cancer cases occur in women aged 63 years or over. Even though most of the sufferers are women after passing the childbearing age, this does not mean that this disease cannot be suffered by girls.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports about 1.3 percent of ovarian cancer cases in girls. The age range is usually less than 20 years, with about 0.1 percent of whom are at risk of dying.

Girls who tend not to have mature reproductive organs are no less at risk for ovarian cancer. Especially if you have a history of family members suffering from this disease.

For example, a daughter born to a mother who has ovarian cancer. The chances of getting ovarian cancer will be higher than other girls.

So, this proves that age and reproductive history are not the only risk factors for ovarian cancer. Apart from family history, other factors that increase the risk of girls getting ovarian cancer, namely:

Genetics

Several gene mutations from the father and mother can significantly increase a girl's risk of developing ovarian cancer. This is reinforced by the results of research from the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York.

The results suggest that fathers can pass on a genetic mutation via their X chromosome, which can increase the risk of ovarian cancer in their daughters.

Obesity

Girls who have a nutritional status of obesity or are overweight are more at risk of developing ovarian cancer than their peers whose age is normal.

Ovarian cancer in girls has far fewer risk factors than ovarian cancer, which affects adult women. The reason is, there are several other things that increase the risk of adult women developing ovarian cancer.

For example, consumption of contraceptive pills, consumption of fertility drugs, a history of suffering from breast cancer, and suffering from endometriosis. Meanwhile, these factors have not occurred in the age of girls.

What is the appropriate treatment for ovarian cancer in children?

Treatment for ovarian cancer in girls is basically not much different from that of adult women, which includes:

Operation. In many cases, surgery is often the first choice to remove cancer cells in the ovaries. The level of surgery can vary depending on the stage of the cancer.
Chemotherapy. Usually this procedure is chosen when cancer cells cannot be removed by surgery. Chemotherapy requires the use of certain chemicals or drugs to destroy cancer cells.
Hormone therapy, can be chosen as another treatment plan to prevent the hormone estrogen from reaching cancer cells. This method is useful for slowing down the growth of cancer cells.
Radiation therapy is a treatment procedure that is rarely used in the treatment of ovarian cancer. This method can be used if there are "small traces" of cancer in the reproductive system or to treat symptoms of advanced cancer.

The effect of ovarian cancer treatment can result in the loss of one or two ovaries (ovaries). This can affect the likelihood of the child getting pregnant in the future.

In addition, treatment with chemotherapy is thought to have a negative impact on the remaining non-cancerous ovaries. On the other hand, it can also increase the risk of premature menopause.

Then, is it difficult for girls with ovarian cancer to have offspring?

Prof. Andrijono, a sub-specialist doctor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, FKUI, as well as Chair of the Indonesian Gynecological Oncology Association (HOGI), explained it.

According to him, if ovarian cancer attacks both ovaries, surgery to remove both ovaries must be performed. That is why it is difficult for girls to have children.

However, if the cancer cells only attack one ovary, there is still a chance to get pregnant with the other ovary that is still functioning properly. With a note, if the cancer only attacks one ovary, the chemotherapy process must be done carefully so as not to cripple the work of the ovaries that are still active.

To find out the development of your little one's reproductive organs, you should do routine checks after going through ovarian cancer treatment. This will reduce the risk of various reproductive problems that can occur in children as adults.