( CNN ) -- Ashley Adams and her husband , Andy , were shocked to discover they were expecting quadruplets in March . The couple have been married for four years and were looking to start a family . After trying unsuccessfully for some time to conceive , Ashley underwent infertility treatments and received a double dose of Clomid , which often results in a multiple-birth pregnancy . `` When the doctors told us we were having quads , we were extremely terrified and ridiculously excited all at the same time , '' Andy said . `` It was just unimaginable . '' Ashley added , `` I did n't know how to process it initially , but it felt like a blessing . '' But their surprise turned to fear when doctors diagnosed 24-year-old Ashley with thyroid cancer four months into her pregnancy . `` We were pretty overwhelmed when we found out , '' Andy said . `` We were lost and scared and did n't know what to do . '' Doctors had discovered an abnormality in Ashley 's thyroid during an ultrasound , and a biopsy diagnosed it as stage 1 cancer . The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes . `` It was scary to find out about the cancer and thinking about what could happen , but if I stressed out about it , the babies would feel it , and I could possibly go into labor even earlier , '' Ashley said . `` Dying was not an option , and our doctors were so reassuring that we just held on to that . '' Multiple-birth pregnancies are often complicated , said Ashley 's doctor , Julie Scott , a high-risk obstetrician at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora . As a result , Ashley wanted to wait until after the babies were born at 30 weeks to undergo cancer surgery . She delivered one boy and three girls , two of them identical twins , on August 26 . Her surgery , a seven-hour procedure that included a thyroidectomy and lymph node removal , took place a few weeks later and was successful . Scott has seen thousands of patients , many with higher-order ( three or more fetuses ) pregnancies . She said it is not uncommon to diagnose cancer in pregnant women because that 's often when they have their first extensive health examinations . What 's scary is that the cancer may have been lying untreated -- and spreading -- for years . `` Ashley has probably had that cancer for several years , and it went undiagnosed , probably because with her young age , '' Scott said . `` The doctors missed the warning signs . '' According to the National Cancer Institute , thyroid cancers are a highly curable form of cancer , with an overall survival rate of 97.5 % over a five-year period . `` In cancer -- which is always unfortunate -- Ashley is fortunate that she had a form of cancer that was slow-growing and was n't going to be altered by the course of pregnancy and could be managed , '' Scott said . The Adamses are now waiting for Ashley 's test results to come back to determine a treatment plan . She may require a combination of both chemotherapy and iodine radiation , or just iodine radiation . Either way , she and her doctors would like to postpone treatment for as long as possible -- without putting her health at risk -- so that she can continue to breast-feed the quadruplets . Six weeks after her cesarean section and nearly one month after cancer surgery , Ashley is recovering and the babies are growing . Wyatt , her son , is expected to come home from the hospital this week . Identical twins Samantha and Braelynn each weigh five pounds , and Rylie is the smallest of their girls , weighing in at just under five pounds . They will remain in the University of Colorado Hospital until they are full term to make sure they can breathe on their own and there are n't any complications . The girls are expected to return home before Thanksgiving . Andy said he is excited about the babies coming home and not at all intimidated by thoughts of four babies crying simultaneously , or of all the diapers to change . The only fear that lingers is `` having something happen to them and their health when there are n't a thousand nurses around , '' he said . The couple said they are optimistic about what lies ahead for their family , but do they see more babies in their future ? Andy laughs and says , `` I will tell you no more ; she will tell you maybe . But it 's definitely no for me . ''
Ashley Adams was diagnosed with stage 1 thyroid cancer four months into her pregnancy . Ashley waited until after the babies ' birth at 30 weeks to undergo cancer surgery . One month after cancer surgery , Ashley is recovering and the babies are growing .