Pregnant Oncology Nurse

[whitecp]

Hello,

I am a 40 y/o nurse with ONS certification that works at a busy outpatient infusion center for almost a year now, most of our patients are there to receive chemotherapy, although we don't mix these drugs, they come from pharmacy in double sealed bags already mixed and primed with a tube filled with normal saline and with a safety leaking device connected to the tip of the tube.

My concern is that I am 10 weeks pregnant. I have been using protective equipment as double gloves and gowns but not used any face masks. We administer all kinds of chemo drugs, and I became concerned after considering there is a risk of inhaling chemotherapy but I am not sure how true this is.

Does anyone knows or has worked administering chemotherapy and had a normal pregnancy/baby after that? I love my job but Should I consider to request being transferred to another unit?

Thanks in advance,

[violetdeangelis2016]

Hello,

So I wanted to say thank you for all your comments, they are really giving me peace of mind. I am 3 months pregnant with my first baby and have worked oncology for 3 years. I was mixing some chemo in the 5 weeks I didn't know I was pregnant, so a little worried about that, even though I was gowning and gloving and wearing a mask most of the time. How does anyone feel about restocking the chemo cabinet when the drugs come in? I read there is quite a risk of exposure at that point. Also, I felt I could double glove and hang chemo after the first trimester, but your mind just goes haywire at times hoping/wishing this is safe. It is just such a tricky issue being that I work in a small clinic and the two nurses we have, have many hats. Thank you in advance!