A Hawke's Bay woman's moral dilemma over cancer procedure: 'If this had been available, I wouldn't exist'

"I'm kind, confident, I contribute. The only thing wrong with me is this cancer gene," Alyse Aldridge says.

Hastings woman Alyse Aldridge, 26, wants to be a mum some day.

But to do so, she will have to face a moral dilemma. Would she discard her baby?

Aldridge carries a gene mutation that makes her, and potentially her children, highly susceptible to cancer.

She is now grappling with whether to have a Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) procedure, which genetically tests her embryos and safeguards her future children from inheriting the gene.

It's also a process that, had Aldridge's parents known about it and gone through it, would have meant she would not exist.

Alyse Aldridge of Hastings talks about the BRCA gene mutation.

Aldridge appeared last week on TVNZ's How Not To Get Cancer after finding out more about the PGD procedure.

Aldridge inherited the BRCA1 gene from her father making her highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer.

BRCA stands for BReast CAncer, and all of Aldridge's family carry the two BRCA genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2.

"My father went to the hospital to get genetic counselling and get his DNA tested. His mother had the gene," Aldridge said.

"In New Zealand you have to be 18 to consent to have the testing done. When I turned 18 I organised my own genetics counselling session, got the test, and tested positive for the BRCA1 gene five months later."

According to Health Navigator NZ, BRCA 1 AND BRCA2 genes produce tumour suppressor proteins, which repair other genes.

If this process isn't working properly, damaged genes don't get repaired, which can lead to cancer.

Alyse Aldridge wants to be a mother some day, but has a gene that could give her kids a heightened risk of cancer. Photo / Warren Buckland

After testing positive for the gene mutation, Aldridge did her own research and discovered PGD.

The procedure involves creating an embryo via in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

One or two cells are removed when the embryo is at the six- to 10-cell stage (usually on the third day after fertilisation) and are tested for particular genetic conditions or chromosomal abnormalities.

Unaffected embryos are then transferred to a woman's uterus and, if all goes well, a pregnancy results.

"If this had been available to my parents, then I wouldn't exist," Aldridge said.

"With the procedure, the embryos that have the gene would have been discarded; they would be medical waste.

"I'm kind, confident, I contribute to society, I am a good person. Those embryos would be just like me.

"The only thing that is wrong with me is this cancer gene. Does that mean I should have been discarded?

"On the other hand when the time comes, if I don't undergo the procedure what will I tell my children who get the BRCA1 gene mutation from me, when I can prevent it from happening? It's a moral dilemma."

Although Aldridge and her fiance Oakley don't have to make a decision now, there will come a time when they do.

"It will be really valuable to talk to someone who has done it. It would also be really beneficial for both of us to go to a clinic in the next six months or so to find out more about it."

In the meantime, Aldridge is doing everything in her power to lead a happy, healthy life.

"I undergo a breast screen every year, and an ovarian scan every two years.

"While it's normal for me, I am still young and I have to do all of this, deal with all of it.

"Women should get tested if they know they are likely to be susceptible to the gene mutation.

"For women, surveillance and doing everything you can to make sure you are good is important."