Tomoxifen & Preganant...HELP!!!

stephmissyb

I am desperatly looking for someone who can offer advice,,   I was 28 yrs old when  diagnosed with Breast cancer. ER Positive,HER2 Negative,G3,,I completed  Neo-Adjuvant chemothreapy in october 2013 , then had a double mastectomy, radiation and was then prescribed with tomoxifen for a least 5 years.  I have been on tomoxifen for over a year now and am shocked at the news that  im pregant (TOTAL SHOCK)  i went to see my specialist today they have advised me to incline for a termination as  i would need to discontinue tomoxifen which would increase significantly the risk or recurrance,, however  no statistics to support this, or being ER positive and becoming pregnant increases risk,,, please can anybody help!!! to add to things  i went for a scan today to see how far gone was and got the news  im expecting twins ,  i have been off tomoxifen 3 weeks since finding out  im pregnant and already feel less tired and depresed, im so happy, but also confused as to what to do as so scared of recurrance ,, is there anybody out there with a similar story to mine?????????????? awaiting feedback xx

Moderators

Dear stepmissyb, we are happy that you were able to become pregnant but sorry you now have to decide upon a difficult decision.

Perhaps these articles from our main site may assist your discussions with your doctors

Read April 2006: Young Women and Breast Cancer: Pregnancy okay after ... and August 2004: Pregnancy and Fertility Issues: When to get pregnant ...

We hope feedback will come from our knowledgeable members.

All the best from us

The Mods

stephmissyb

Thanks you for the articals, however is there any articals on women who have got pregnant on tomifen stopped taking it and gone through with pregnacy ???  

YoungTurkNYC

hi stephmissyb,

Stopping tamoxifen prior to the 5-year mark (and now the research points to the 10-year mark) does increase your chance of recurrence.  However, I also happen to have twins, and they are the biggest joys of my life, and I have no idea where I would be without them.  This is an extraordinarily difficult and a very personal decision.  I am so sorry you are faced with it.  I just wish you all the best, and the best of luck with your decision.

stephmissyb

Thank you for your response,i am faced with the toughest decision of my life,,when i. went for my first scan i. was shocked that i  was pregnant let alone with identical twins, however they could only detect one heartbeat and advised me to come back in 7days time,  which was yesterday and they were shocked as both babies had doubled in sized and could now detect a faint hearbeat in the twin the previously told me had no heartbeat..  im so confussed, my heads got so  many things going around and around .. are there any women on here who have stoped tomoxifen because of pregancy and gone ahead with pregnancy???  

heartnsoul76

Hi stephmissy!

Please contact your oncologist! There have been several women who were pregnant then diagnosed with breast cancer and still able to continue chemo throughout the pregnancy. The oncologist might be able to recommend a regimen you can follow that keeps the cancer away and won't hurt the babies.

I hope your oncologist can find something that works out for you.

stephmissyb

Hi heartnsoul76,

I have been in touch with my oncologist and she said that tomoxifen would have to be stopped which increases my risk of reaccurance and therefor would be inclined to ask for a termination,, just wanted to see if there were any women with circumstances the same as mine,, thank you for your response,,  i have also read stories where women are diagnosed whilst pregnant and have chemo but there saying  i  would have to come off tomoxifen whilst pregnant and in high risk of reaccurance which if cancer did come back would be uncurable xx

heartnsoul76

You definitely have to come off Tamoxifen because it can cause birth defects. But there may be an alternative to Tamoxifen for you to protect yourself from recurrence while you carry the babies. There are other anti-hormonal drugs for pre-menopausal women but you would have to ask your oncologist if they're safe while pregnant. My best wishes to you!

bobogirl

Dear Stephmissyb:

I am so happy to hear that the other baby's heartbeat is apparent! If you are so inclined, get a new oncologist -- one who would support you, and who would help you formulate a plan. Sending you hugs!

Zillsnot4me

On the hormones thread, page 2 and 3 are two others in the same boat. Maybe they can help point you in the right direction for advice/treatment.

Good luck.

BayouBabe

Be sure you check out the thread here titled "Coming off tamoxifen early to have a baby", you will find lots of discussions from women who have done just that. I will bump the thread up to the top of active topics to make it easier for you to find. If mods read this, maybe they can post a link to that thread for you (I tend to be tech challenged). (((hugs)))

rgiuff

Congratulations! How rare to be carrying twins! How far along are you? Of course, this is your decision to make and the stage of your cancer also determines how much at risk you are for a recurrance. I You could always restart the tamoxifen after you are done with having the babies. You have to weigh your decision based on your cancer risk and overall plan for your life. Would the worry over a possible recurrance cause you a lot of stress?. Or would the regret over the loss of your pregnancy and the possibility of compromised fertility as you get older be more of an issue? I would definitely seek a 2nd opinion, and hope that you will find an oncologist who is more supportive of your pregnancy. That way, if you decide to continue with it, you will have more positivity to help you along the way.