First Ever Miracle Baby Born To Mom, 37, Who Got Pregnant With New Fertility Treatment After Aggressive Breast Cancer Diagnosis

A 37-year-old mom and her husband, from southwest London, are celebrating the “miracle” birth of their daughter Sienna Pear thanks to a new fertility treatment that involved removing an ovary, freezing tissue with eggs, and re-implanting

After getting diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer four years ago, Shana Pear gave birth to Shana in April with the help of England’s National Health Service (NHS) program called the National Paediatric Fertility Preservation Service.

Despite learning she had breast cancer in 2018 and becoming infertile amid cancer treatment, six months after her and her husband Charles’ wedding, the pair remained hopeful and willing to try something new to get pregnant.
Recounting how she first listened to her daughter’s heartbeat in August 2021, Shana told The Sunday Times, “It was so emotional and in that moment we just felt so blessed. Our daughter Sienna is the light of our lives.” “She is a miracle,” Charles added.

Shana and Charles are grateful after the successful procedure which started one week prior to her fight with breast cancer.

One of Shana’s ovaries was removed and strips of tissue with eggs were then frozen at a temperature of minus 356F. Following the ovary’s period of hibernation and completed cancer treatment, doctors then re-implanted the tissue so that the eggs would have a chance at fertilization.

Shana was not permitted to conceive naturally to lessen the time on a hormone therapy called Tamoxifen, which Cleveland Clinic explains “is an effective hormone therapy used to treat hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that can greatly reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and invasive cancer.”

However, the re-implantation treatment was a success as Shana conceived with her husband’s sperm through In vitro fertilization (IVF).

Now, doctors involved in the program which helped Shana and Charles conceive are looking forward to helping tens of thousands of cancer survivors with fertility treatment.

According to the NHS, the treatment could help the approximate 2,700 children and young adults who have already had their reproductive tissue removed and frozen.

Miracle Baby: Fertility After Breast Cancer Battle

The likelihood of a woman to naturally conceive a child decreases after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

“Fertility after a breast cancer diagnosis is fairly complicated,” Dr. Sarah Cate, a breast surgeon at Mount Sinai, previously explained in an interview with SurvivorNet.

“Some patients that need chemotherapy may not be able to have children afterward because chemotherapy pauses menopause.”

Dr. Cate said that oncologists often sit down and lay out the possible options with each patient. At Mount Sinai, a fertility specialist will also be present for those conversations.

“I always ask patients that either don’t have kids or are at an age where they could have kids, do they want more children,” said Dr. Cate.

“And then we would talk to them about preserving fertility, meaning typically to either take eggs or to make embryos if they have a significant other.”

Doctors will then preserve those eggs or embryos for possible use after treatment.