1049| Pregnancy with Twins after Breast Cancer and Giving Birth in Germany - Magdalena Fuehrer

Magdalena Fuehrer shares her profoundly moving journey of becoming a mother after being diagnosed with hormone-positive breast cancer at 30, just as she and her husband were preparing to start a family. After undergoing a lumpectomy, radiation, and five to ten years of hormone therapy that induced medical menopause, she faced the emotional toll of infertility and the fear that motherhood might be out of reach. A breakthrough came with the POSITIVE trial, which showed that women with hormone-positive breast cancer could safely pause hormone therapy to conceive without increasing cancer recurrence risk. Magdalena took a break after two years, successfully conceived, and after a heartbreaking early miscarriage, she became pregnant again—this time with twins. Her pregnancy was high-risk due to placental insufficiency affecting one twin, leading to a 29-week hospitalization with frequent non-stress tests and monitoring. Despite the anxiety and fear, she found strength in acceptance, mindfulness, and support from her medical team and a hospital psychologist. She delivered both twins via cesarean section at 34 weeks, with both babies requiring NICU care—Samuel for three weeks and Olivia for five. Remarkably, both babies thrived, and Magdalena was able to breastfeed with the help of a nipple shield, combining pumping and direct feeding. She now continues hormone therapy post-breastfeeding, reflecting on her journey with gratitude and resilience. The episode also features a conversation with Ryan, co-founder of Needed, discussing their clinical study proving that Needed’s prenatal multivitamin significantly improves key nutrient levels in pregnant women compared to standard prenatal vitamins, highlighting the widespread nutritional deficiencies many women face during pregnancy and postpartum.