BRCA2 & family planning

pj220

hello

in 2014 I was diagnosed at age 24 with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma. I had the double mastectomy but i did not need chemo. I am on the 5 year plan of Tamoxifen due to being estrogen positive. I am now on the 5th year of tamoxifen and the talks about Ovary removal and family planning is coming up. My worry is passing on the BRCA2 gene to my future children, and also the fear of introducing so much estrogen back to my body through pregnancy or IVF. there arent many studies done on estrogen positive women's cancer risk increasing after tamoxifen or IVF. when I say IVF, im talking about the process so I can have the embryos tested for the BRCA2. This post seems all over the place but I am just desperate for more information or guidance through this part of my journey. I dont want to pass the gene along, nor do I want to pump my body with estrogen. If anyone can answer some of these questions, I will be forever grateful:

1. if i was to get pregnant the regular way, can the embryo be tested within me to determine if it contracted the gene?

2. has anyone had more tamoxifen after pregnancy just as a preventative measure?

3. How risky is doing IVF as an estrogen positive patient?

BonBon56

I am BRCA1 positive, I found this out when she had stage 2 breast cancer @ age 48. My daughter, twin sister & 1 niece are the only ones we’ve found so far that has the gene. My brother & my 2 sons have never been tested. My dad has prostate cancer many many years ago. He went on years later to have it in his nasal cavity which is what he died from in 2014. We assume he had the gene also but was never tested. I’ve read that somehow this gene is related to breast cancer.

When I found out about my sister having the gene & was told I needed to be tested. My test was positive, I immediately had my ovaries out, this was 2013. I was scared & undecided about what to do. Finally in 2016 I decided to have a double mastectomy & silicone implants put in. I had a great plastic surgeon & onocoligist who did my surgery together. I was able to keep my nipples, that was very important to me. I was excited to go from a small B to a full C. I’d always wanted to be bigger & now I was getting them paid for by my insurance, even though this isn’t the way I had planned.

The recovery was a long & very painful process. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who supported me & took excellent care of me. My Dr & I talked & we decided on silicone. When they did my mastcemony they put the implants in, but I needed to have my skin stretched to allow for my new boobs. About 3 months after surgery I had to go to plastic surgeons office & they started putting the saline in a little @ a time. My implants for lack of a better word had dime size plastic or metal I assume metal in them. The Dr knew exactly where these were, They used a small needle which didn’t hurt while putting it in. But 1 hour afterwards I was in almost unbearable pain, thank my Dr was very generous in giving me pain meds. After this procedure all I would do for @ least a week was lay on couch & take pain meds. I had to have that procedure 4 times, it was worse than the mastectomy. But I made it !!!! My scare aren’t that very visible, but don’t like the fact I have no feeling on my boobs or nipples. I don’t regret having the surgery @ all, I wanted to live !!!!!! I’m now 62 years old & am enjoying life to the fullest with my husband, kids, grandchildren & my friends.

Moderators

Hi there, BonBon! Thank you so much for joining our community, and for sharing your inspiring story! We know it's a personal and difficult decision, and we are so glad to hear that you made the right decision for you and your family.

The Mods