A cervical cancer survivor who thought her condition would rob her of the chance to be a mother has given birth to a healthy baby boy after having pioneering surgery.
Rachel Bainbridge, 29, from Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year, and thought her hopes of having a family were gone forever.
Yet, a life-changing procedure that just removes the cervix and its surrounding tissue, while leaving the uterus intact, enabled Ms Bainbridge to become pregnant and have the same survival prospects as a patient undergoing a hysterectomy.
Ms Bainbridge said: ‘It’s very overwhelming but amazing. It’s just unbelievable really because we were so unsure if this would be able to happen this way for us.’
Jafaru Abu, a gynaecological oncology consultant at Nottingham University Hospital, who performed the procedure, said: ‘It’s brilliant that we are able to offer this procedure to young women like Rachel who are unfortunate to be diagnosed with cervical cancer at such a young age.’
