Family History & Prophylactic Decisions

mky

Hi All,

I'm doing this at the top so you can choose to skip the MONSTROSITY of a post I've written:

TL;DR

I'm 26 years old, did the PBMX last year and I've got 2 cousins diagnosed with Ovarian cancer at 28 and 34 years old. I feel like I need to get my ovaries removed, but the thought terrifies me. I'm also in a new state w/ a no-benefits job, looking for new insurance (& with it a new medical team) and really I'm just feeling overwhelmed.

*****

I'm soon-to-be 26 and had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy w/ direct-to-implant reconstruction Jan. 2014, followed by nipple reconstruction and tattoos. My "next step" is getting rid of the ovaries, which I really don't want to do (& not for child-bearing reasons, having biological children has never been a priority for me and it's not an obstacle for this decision) because the whole hormone and menopause aspect in general (and in regards to intimacy especially) really terrifies me.

But first, quick breakdown of my family history on my BRCA+-BC-diagnosed@46yo-mother's side:

[Format] Relative, diagnosis (age diagnosed, age at death if applicable)

Grandma, Breast (74, 82) ;
Grandma's Sister, Colon (?,?)
Aunt, Cervical (50, 51) ;
Aunt's Daughter, Ovarian (28, 32) ;
Uncle, Prostate (?,?) ;
Uncle's Daughter, Ovarian (34, n/a)

FULL DISCLOSURE: My mom's side of the family are complete strangers to me. They're in the Philippines, I grew up in the US, and their deaths only impacted me through my mom's grief. This also means that their deaths were within the context of rural Philippines with limited resources and medical access.

That being said, I've still got two female cousins who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 28 and 34 years old. That's devastating.

I'm honestly at a stand still. Because I'm turning 26 I'm losing my health insurance (I'm living in Massachusetts now so I've got high hopes), but because I was on Tricare and treated at a military hospital I no longer have access to the team that walked me through my PBMX.

3-16-2011

Hi

I have a brca 2 mutation and had BSO after a breast cancer dx at age 48. I know that my full report on the brca gene testing gave me all sorts of numbers. I had a 25% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Since I was so close to menapause and breast cancer tx was going to throw me into menapause anyway it was an easy decision. Clearly your situation is much different. However, I was given a choice to have regular surveillance of ovaries instead of having them out. I might have made this choice if my situation was different.

The Forces (information and support for people at risk for hereditary nreast and ovarian cancer) web sight helped me make my decision.

Good luck to you.