My mom had a meningioma brain tumor when I was born, and am developing some of the same symptoms that she had before she had surgery to have it removed. What are some of the warning signs and is it possible to pass it down through pregnancy? Thank You

Thee are really two components to developing this. Nature and nurture. The nature part is the genes that you inherited from your mother which could put you at an increased risk. The nurture is environmental issues that could cause this. So if you grew up in generally the same environmental conditions as your mother you could develop the tumours. It is hard to say what the cause of them is and they haven't been able to conclusively say what causes them.

If you're concerned about having a tumour like that then you should talk to your doctor. They'll be able to get to talking with the proper professional to get this dealt with.

First of all, don't confuse a family tendency with 'passing something to you during pregnancy.' She could have had it removed long before she had you and still passed it on. There are no cells that migrate down to you from the brain to the womb.

Second, most of them (98%) are benign. Was hers benign?

Third, how old are you? Many people go their whole lives with no symptoms and even die in old age of something else, never knowing they had one.

All you need is a CT scan or MRI. If you don't have insurance, get it. If your mother's was malignant, don't wait. If it was benign, you can work on insurance. What is your work or benefits situation? Signing up for gov't plans starts next month and coverage starts Jan 1.