Need advice 23 brac1+ and brac2+

Bhope,

I am older than you (33) so my decisions are based on different things.  Unless you want to breast feed then as far as children go you would not need your real boobs.  Honestly, I breastfed both of my kids for 3-4 months each.  However, they would have survived even if I hadn't.  That is a personal choice.  While some say that it is the best for the child I do not think that it means you love them less or can not bond with them as well if you bottle feed.  Being there for them through out their lives is the most important thing.  Then... when they are older they will appreciate you being around more than they felt begrudged about not getting booby when the kid down the block says he did.

One thing to share which I am hoping your Dr. did also is that since you are so young you would have dense breasts.  The MRI is the best way as far as everyone says.  So if you do not do the mast keep up with the MRI's. I think they are not 100% accurate but probably one of the best there is out there for dense tissue.

Also if you go to the main forum index and scroll down to community support there is a link for young women w/ breast cancer.  You could post your question in there and they may give you lots of help.  Just let them know that you do not have cancer then state your problem with questions.  I hope this helped or they can give you help.  Either way it is your choice but are boobs actually needed for parenting? ...no.  Keep your chin up and do all your homework you will find the right answer for you.

Vickie

It breaks my heart that a 23 year old young woman should have to make such a weighty decision.  I am so sorry you lost your mother at such a young age. 

I agree with runalot08 referable to her comment regarding children and breastfeeding - whether it is something you will want to do.  Interestingly, Dr. Susan Love's website has an article regarding trials which supported that breastfeeding reduced the risk for BRCA+ woman.  I was just discussing this with my niece, who is your age.  Here is the link to the website:

http://www.dslrf.org/mwh/content.asp?L2=1&L3=7&SID=130&CID=410&PID=42&CATID=0

You have your whole life ahead of you and we know you will make the decision you can live with.  You are asking the important questions, investigating, researching - and the FORCE website Emily mentioned is an excellent resource.

I would request/demand nothing short of an MRI every year though, and I would ask to be assigned to either an oncologist or breast specialist who can schedule you for bi-annual breast evaluations.  This means that every six months, a breast specialist is palpating your breasts to check for lumps, changes - anything which might need further diagnostic evaluation. 

God bless you!

Hi- I'm really sorry to read this, and can't keep from writing a little about myself.. I'm BRACA 2, as you might know that's the easiest of the two types to cure if you end up with breast cancer. I also lost my mother when I was young; she was 35, I was 8. I was diagnosed with BC when I was 30, soon after I stopped breast feeding my first, and only, child. Al the women in my family who have been ill wit BC have been diagnosed after pregnancy. I must say there is no doubt for me that the double mastectomy (I removed one breast preventatively) was a relief. In any case the choice of removing breasts must be weighed against all the difficulties of treatment, even though they were to find the tumors early. Having to undergo chemo and hormonal treatment took years out of my life and out of the quality of my relations to my daughter and husband. I am 33 now, and lost the option of giving my daughter a sibling, because I have to wait until 5 years after the diagnosis. I don't know if I would feel safe against the enourmous flow of estrogen during pregnancy later either, I've been told that my pregnancy most likely kick started my cancer. I had two tumors sized 2 cm, found them myself. I have been screened every 6 months since i was 18. I don't mean to scare you, and everyone's story is different. I do think though, that the knowing that you are safe from BC when you start your family is worth a lot. And- I know several womenwho have bought breast milk to provide their baby with the advantages it provides. All my best wishes for you! 

My 23 year old daughter is BRCA2+, as are my 2 nieces (ages 24 & 27).  They have chosen to do surveillance.  I'm also BRCA2+. 

I agree with cathy123 and go to www.facingourrisk.org.   I have received so much useful information from that site.

Take care,

I also recommend FORCE but you should probably seek genetic counseling and a breast oncologistto discuss these issues with, if you haven't done so already.  Genetic counselors can be found at:

 http://www.nsgc.org/ 

I am 38 and BRCA-1 positive. My mother died from a second breast cancer at 64, first one at 51. My aunt died at 42 of breast cancer another one at 38 from lung cancer, an uncle at 51 from colon cancer.

I had my ovaries removed last March and I had bilateral mastectomy with reconctruction last May though I have no cancer. My chances were too high (90% breast cancer and 65% ovarian cancer). I don't regret anything though it was a hard road to take.