HRT for prolapse after breast cancer

murielwhite5

Hi I am wondering if anyone out there has had a similar dilemma to me. I finished radiation a year ago and have been taking tamoxifen since. I was on the AIs but had to quit due to osteoporosis. I now have a prolapsed bladder and I am waiting for surgery. Because the prolapse has got a lot worse I have gone for a pessary as a stop gap till surgery. Apparently they want me to take HRT treatment whilst I wear the pessary. The information with the HRT says don't take it if you have breast cancer. My doctor (cancer doc) says its okay in the short term but now the pessary has come up the HRT needs to be done twice a week for several months. A different ball game!!! Any thoughts would be welcome. Love Muriel

keepthefaith

Muriel, I don't have any personal experience with that, but would suggest maybe getting another opinion....best wishes.

Jelson

can you ask them why they are recommending the HRT? are they afraid the tamoxifen is going to thin out your vaginal tissues so much that the pessary will be esp painful? damaging? and when you say HRT, do you mean an estrogen cream or something oral that would have more systemic impact? If necessary, I would think a cream for a few months would have much less potential to impact your chance of breast cancer recurrence.

Molly50

I believe vaginal estrogen is generally recommended during pessary use to strengthen the vaginal tissues. It is GENERALLY NOT systemic but my MO will not allow me to use my Estrace cream any longer because my BC is highly estrogenic. Did you talk to your MO about this?

murielwhite5

Hi Jelson and Molly 50, I am on tamoxifen because I cant have the AI because of my osteoporosis. I need a pessary until I can get the surgery for my prolapse repair (in about 2 to 3 months). Apparently they always use the estrogen pessaries (a form of HRT) with the pessaries. I have been told that the estrogen helps to heal the tissues (after the op) and helps the tisssues before as well. I am to use them twice a week till the op. Although the information booklet says not to use the cream it seems to be okay in the short term (up to 6 months) The pessaries (which hold up the prolapse) are of different shapes and sizes. In the past 3 days I have had 3 put in and 3 fell out!!! Today I had the 4th one put in and so far so good. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for your comments. Love Muriel

ICanDoThis

Like you, I took tamoxifen because I had osteoporosis. But started getting evil urinary tract infections, so had a long talk with my gynecologist, and decided to take localized estrogen. Apparently, there is no sign that it spreads outside the immediate area, and everything works much better.

Hope it works out great for you

fleur-de-lis

I would think that it is fine for the short time you would be on it, but get another opinion if you have questions. You are practicing due diligence on the behalf of your health, you are your own advocate!

I went on a small dose of vaginal E, with a small dose of P when I actually developed micro tears and slight bleeding in my va-jay jay. BTW, my E levels were a whole 15 two years into full menopause, and tested out at a 3 level 7 years in menopause,before starting this combo. Remember those levels, like all hormone levels, are just a snapshot in time. BTW, had a Phyllodes tumor in 2009, so waited as long as I could to do this. It seems to help a bit with flashes at night, too. I have always had really low E levels.....which can be a problem in it's own right. But it also might be the reason that a tiny dose helps me....since my body was never used to much estrogen anyway.

I am having a biopsy tomorrow, for another suspected breast issue. Until we find out the results, I asked my hemotologist if I could stay on the combo until then.....answer was yes. I cycle this protocol, and take 5 days off every month....so biopsy will be on the 4th day off the combo anyway.

E=Estrogen.

P= Progesterone.