My dreams came true when I found out I was expecting after a miscarriage – then my pregnancy gave me cancer

SOPHIE Forbes-Perry was “over the moon” when she discovered she was expecting a baby after years of trying. 

But her longed-for pregnancy turned into a nightmare when she was told it had given her cancer. 

The 42-year-old, who has been with husband Simon for seven years, had already gone through the devastating heartbreak of a miscarriage, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

Sophie, who lives in York, tells Sun Health: “We met when I was 35 and we decided to get married first before trying for a family. 

“We tied the knot in 2019, and then Covid happened. 

“I was running wellbeing workshops and I was so hectic with work, but we decided to go to Thailand in 2021 and I conceived while we were away.

“I was over the moon but I had really strong morning sickness and was throwing up a lot.

“We paid for an early scan and we were told there was no heartbeat and I had had a missed miscarriage.

“I was devastated and had to have surgery to release the pregnancy.

“I thought I was going to be seven months pregnant on my 40th birthday but instead I was not pregnant and I was heartbroken with it all.”

Nine months later, Sophie says she felt emotionally ready to try again. 

She discovered she was pregnant over Christmas, but this time, she and Simon were more cautious and asked for an earlier scan.

Once again, they faced a crushing heartbreak.

Sophie says: “The nurse said, ‘I don’t know what I’m looking at,’ and went to get a second opinion.

“I was then told I had a molar pregnancy. They said, ‘You were pregnant at some point but now all we can see is a lot of little tumors’.

“I just thought, ‘Here we go again’.”

Sophie had surgery to remove the tumours, and ended up “very sick”.

“I couldn’t even keep water down,” she says.

A molar pregnancy happens by chance and is rare. 

It’s caused by a problem with a fertilised egg and means a baby and a placenta do not develop the way they should after conception. It will not be able to survive. 

Who gets cancer from a pregnancy? I was in disbelief

Sophie Forbes-Perry

Sophie says: “I had surgery and doctors said they thought they had taken everything out, but I wasn’t recovering the way I thought I would be. 

“Something felt different, so they gave me antibiotics and I went on holiday. 

“When I got back, they checked me and the tumours had returned.”

Once again, Sophie had to undergo surgery – but now, the fear really started to set in. 

She says she then started researching her condition, and asked if it could become cancerous.

Reassuringly, Sophie was told it was very rare for that to happen. 

“I went in for the same surgery and had tumours removed,” she says.

“I spoke to the consultant and they said they were happy they had taken everything out.

“I wanted to feel better but I was very sick – a smell would set me off. I was fed up and felt terrible.”

But with no other action to take, all she could do was simply “wait it out”.

“A week later, I went to have blood tests and then I got a phone call,” Sophie says.

“At that point I had got to know the staff well. I knew what was happening and I said, ‘That means it’s cancer doesn’t it?’

“They said, ‘Yes,’ and told me to phone the hospital. I cried and was very emotional.”

Sophie had an MRI and was told she had gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) – a rare condition that can cause abnormal cells or tumours to grow in the uterus during or after pregnancy. 

Most are non cancerous (benign) but some are. 

Sophie says: “When you hear the word ‘cancer’ you fear the worst. I was trying to remain positive but kept thinking, ‘Who gets cancer from a pregnancy?’

“I was in disbelief, just trying to make sense of it.”

MONTHS IN HOSPITAL

The only relief came when she discovered it was not a cancer you can die from.

“I didn’t have to worry about dying – but I thought, ‘Am I going to lose my hair?’,” she says.

“I didn’t know anyone who had gone through cancer treatment.”

Sophie needed the lowest dose of chemotherapy and says she was relieved to discover it hadn’t spread to any organs.

“My life became four months in hospitals after that – every fortnight on a Monday I had my bloods checked and received regular injections,” she says.

“I would have four in a week – a week off – then start again.

“I would have two days feeling relatively normal in two weeks. I was constantly throwing up.”

Sophie had to have three more rounds of chemo and six weeks of treatment.

“People want you to be OK but it’s difficult – you still feel terrible,” she says.

“I was exhausted – my body has gone through a lot and navigating life afterwards is difficult,” she says.

“I was trying to figure out what life is like after cancer.

“Then I had to deal with the pregnancy loss – the brain could only take one thing.”

Sophie, who is currently undertaking IVF, adds: “You can’t just slot back into life. Things are different – you’re not the same.

“My poor body has gone through so much; I need to live a slower life, have boundaries and care for myself.”

Sophie is now cancer-free and using her experiences to help other women by running workshops at her local cancer centre. 

She says she creates spaces for women to just ‘be’, giving them the chance to look after their own wellbeing.

Sophie, the founder of two not-for-profit organisations specialising in emotional resilience and the owner of small business Heart & Soul with Sophie, says: “I have realised how we all need a tribe, community or sisterhood. 

“From someone who was fiercely independent to learning how to ask for help and accept support – I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of other amazing women.”