A 32-year-old Illinois woman underwent brain surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor that was preventing her from getting pregnant, and she conceived her second daughter shortly after the procedure.
Lisa Fasone and her boyfriend Larry Brastad wanted to grow their family. After celebrating their daughter’s first birthday in February 2023, they started trying for a second baby. But despite weaning their daughter, the couple still could not conceive after a year.
Fasone’s period had not returned. She was experiencing night sweats, dizziness and fatigue and was leaking so much milk during the day that she had to change her shirt repeatedly.
“I thought I was never going to have another child. It was an awful feeling,” Fasone told PEOPLE.
Bloodwork revealed that Fasone’s prolactin levels were high. Prolactin is the hormone responsible for lactation. An MRI showed she had a small prolactinoma, a non-cancerous tumor of the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. The tumor was sending wrong signals to her body.
“Her body felt like it was still pregnant or breastfeeding,” explained Dr Stephen Magill, assistant professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University.
Fasone started medication in February 2024, but she had a bad reaction. “The medication made me feel absolutely awful, I was so dizzy I could hardly function,” she said. Repeat MRIs showed the tumor was growing.
By February 2025, she felt defeated. “I was basically back at square one. I hadn’t had a period. I was still lactating. So I had suffered through a year of trying this drug that made me feel worse but wasn’t fixing anything.”
After getting a second opinion, Fasone realized her options were limited. If she wanted to have another baby, she would need brain surgery to remove the tumor.
“I had always said that I would not have elective surgery. But they told me the condition would likely progress, and this surgery would give me a chance at cure. Hopefully, it would help me complete my family and have another baby,” she said.
On April 16, 2025, Magill removed the pea-sized tumor through Fasone’s nose. The surgery took about three hours, and Fasone spent two nights in the hospital. Before she was discharged, her prolactin levels dropped to normal.
“Everything went beautifully,” Magill said. “I was very hopeful for her.”
A month later, Fasone got her period for the first time since before she got pregnant with her oldest daughter. “I was literally crying tears of joy,” she said. “We celebrated.”
The next month, in June 2025, she learned she was pregnant with her second daughter. Baby Natalie was born on February 11, 2026, weighing seven pounds, nine ounces.
“I feel so blessed. I have a happy ending,” Fasone said.
