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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Priya Khanchandani

A moment that changed me: My body seemed like a death machine – until I saw those two blue lines

Priya Khanchandani with her daughter
Priya Khanchandani with her daughter. Photograph: Romy Becker

The moment you find out you are pregnant is not something you forget. In my case, I had spent years being terrified of the idea. Ovarian cancer had changed my body when I was still young and I was afraid to imagine the future, in case something went wrong. So, when the white strip released two blue lines in 2022, everything changed in an instant. I was filled with amazement at the thought that molecules were forming a new person inside me.

Having lost one ovary and been through temporary menopause caused by cancer medication, I had assumed it was unlikely I would ever be able to have a child. The future I had dared not imagine had reached a tipping point. Would I be able to grow a baby? Was it safe inside me? How would I deal with giving birth? Although the pregnancy was what I wanted, there were so many risks and so few certainties that I didn’t feel immediately overjoyed.

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