ILC...no chemo, concern about tamoxifen, pregnancy (plz help)

Lisahearts

Hi all, I'm new to this board and really looking forward to discussing these issues with all of you. I'm so sorry we all have to deal with such a tragic issue in our lives. To give you an outline of my situation, I'm almost 38. Back in January I had a partial masectomy of right breast, Invasive lobular carcinoma. Hormone receptor positive hep2 negative, brca gene negative. Grade 1 (slowest growing), and stage 3a based on amount they took out. One very small lympnode involved (cancer in it was 3mm, the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen). Scored 21 on the oncotype test. Not clear how effective chemo would be and I have no children but want them so I declined it. Finished radiation over 2 months ago. Doctors advise tamoxifen but I have now spoken with about 5 people who took it in their late 30s and they entered early menopause permanently. Oncologists don't seem to go out of their way to discuss this risk. I had an abortion at 20. I regretted it. Have not tried to conceive since. I would be devastated if tamox ultimately damaged my reproductive system. Sure I would live to adopt but I want the opportunity to have my own child and a surrogate mother doesn't really appeal to me. Would be too much on me emotionally. I have not began the tamoxifen, and some family members are angry at me, not showing enough empathy for my concerns and how possibly winding up with no children would devastate my life. Sure, I want to live. I've been told grade 1 cancers are less likely to recur. I'm confused on what the chances are of the cancer coming back in my bone or other organs later on, and I'm wondering if anyone in a similar situation has became pregnant after no chemo and no tamoxifen, without the cancer returning or with it returning.Fertility is probably already low due to age alone. Anyone take tamoxifen for a year with no chemo and get pregnant afterwards, or has anyone entered early permanent menopause after taking tamox for a year with no chemo? If someone has both chemo and tamoxifen, its hard to determine which treatment caused the infertility. Thanks for your time. I'm desperate for more input as many I've met who have or are going through this already have children so early menopause or infertility from treatment is not as much as a concern for them. Thanks so much for listening and have a blessed day!

Momine

Lisa, hi and welcome. What does your onc think? It seems to me that you should start there. Tell him/her that you want to have a child, and see what the response is.

toomuch

Lisa - I have no personal experience to share but it seems to me that your MO should be able to give you some advice on preserving your fertility. Have you thought about harvesting and freezing your eggs? There are women on this board who start Tamoxifen and go off early to have babies. I think that it's also important for you to remember that your oncotype score of 21 tells you your recurrence risk if you take Tamoxifen. It could be signficantly higher with radiation alone. I hope that you can sort this out with your MO.