A sobering report from the Cleveland Clinic has found that melanoma is five times more deadly for women who are pregnant or had given birth within the year.
“We saw significant, worse prognoses and outcomes for women with a pregnancy-associated melanoma, compared to a control group of non-pregnant women,” stated primary author and plastic surgeon Brian Gastman.
Obviously, the female human body does some amazing things in order to be able to grow another human. And some of the mechanisms involved in the process of pregnancy, specifically hormonal- or immunosuppression-related, may be involved in why melanoma is so deadly for these women. It was noted in the article that women who were diagnosed with melanoma during pregnancy or within the year after giving birth should be especially vigilant about checking their skin and going for the scheduled skin exams. It’s easy to get complacent after your melanoma has been removed. But keeping an eye on your skin and making sure that your dermatologist does too is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.