A pregnant mom and her baby were at risk, but doctors successfully saved both

During her 10th week of pregnancy, a 36-year-old woman in Poland was reportedly admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a rare and deadly health condition that put her life at serious risk — but doctors did not tell her to abort. Instead, they worked to keep both her and her baby alive.

Key Takeaways:

• A report indicates that a woman in Poland presented to a hospital in 2025 with serious health complications.

• She was diagnosed with bone marrow aplasia, a condition likely caused by the pregnancy and one that put her life in danger.

• Despite the severity of her condition, doctors worked to save both her and her baby.

• In September, the baby was delivered via C-section, and the woman underwent a bone marrow transplant. Both are reportedly doing well.

The Details:

The Polish Association of Human Defenders (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Obrońców Życia Człowieka) recently shared a remarkable story detailing how doctors can work to save the life of a pregnant mother without intentionally killing her baby.

Bone marrow aplasia

In 2025, a woman went to a Polish hospital very ill. She had severe anemia, low platelets, and low leukocytes, and she was diagnosed with bone marrow aplasia, a condition in which the bone marrow almost completely stops producing blood cells. It was likely caused by the pregnancy, and, according to a 2005 study, it carries a "high risk of maternal morbidity and mortality."

The Polish Association of Human Defenders explained that the unnamed woman required blood transfusions, but her body was producing antibodies that destroyed the blood platelets she was receiving. She was at serious risk of massive hemorrhage on a daily basis.

"She was an extremely difficult patient," said Prof. Grzegorz Helbig, the head of the Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Clinic at the Independent Public Clinical Hospital in Katowice. He added, "The platelet count at times dropped to zero or several thousand per microliter while for surgical procedures we need at least 50-80 thousand."

It was clear that the pregnancy was extremely high-risk and on top of that, the baby was not growing properly. Still, doctors were determined to save both mother and child.

"From our point of view, it was not about treating the disease, but about managing the pregnancy under very high-risk conditions to bring it to term as safely as possible," said Dr. Tomasz Zieliński, an obstetrician.

Isolation and treatment

As the pregnancy progressed, the woman was kept in isolation at the hospital with hematologists, obstetricians, and psychologists carefully watching over her. Family visits were limited, and every care was taken to protect her life and ensure her baby survived.

Mother and baby made it to 37 weeks before doctors determined it was time for the pregnancy to end.

"The procedure had to be performed quickly and precisely, with a very limited safety margin," said Prof. Helbig.

On September 11, 2025, doctors carried out a C-section, delivering the baby girl weighing just under five pounds and in good health.

After the delivery, the woman's condition did not improve, and it became obvious that a bone marrow transplant would be necessary to save her life. A donor was found in a search of the international registry.

"This was the first time we diagnosed severe bone marrow aplasia in a pregnant patient. (...) In this case, the procedure is truly unconventional. There are no guidelines on what to do in such a situation," explained Dr. Anna Kopińska of the Hematology Clinic.

“It was a week-to-week struggle, both medically and mentally.”

After another two months in isolation, the woman was able to return home to her family, including her two daughters, at the end of November. Her baby girl is reportedly doing well, and doctors have given both mother and child a good prognosis. The mother said:

"The hardest part was the isolation and the uncertainty about whether everything would work out. I was most afraid for my baby."

The Bottom Line:

There is never a reason to intentionally kill a preborn baby through induced abortion, even when the mother's life is at risk. If the mother does develop a serious health condition during pregnancy and doctors determine that the pregnancy must end, preterm delivery respects both patients: the mother and child.

Delivering a baby prematurely because her mother's life is in danger, whether at 17 weeks or 28 weeks, is not an abortion because the goal is not to ensure the baby's death but to save the mother's life. When possible, doctors can attempt to save the life of the premature baby as well.

This story out of Poland is proof that doctors can rise to a challenge and overcome obstacles to try to save lives, treating them both as valuable, even in dire situations.