Who was on HRT before dx?

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mzmiller99
mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

This may have been a thread in the past and I missed it, but with the research on the connection between HRT and bc a few years ago, I wondered how many of us continued on HRT and now have bc?

I was on Prempro for over 10 years, and my onco told me it was the biggest reason for my cancer.Frown  Might have known...and I thought I was doing my heart some good.

Susan

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  • gramadeb
    gramadeb Member Posts: 210
    edited February 2009

    Susan, I was on HRT also. I took prempro for about 3 years, then had a hysterectomy, oophorectomy and started on Estradiol for 4.5 years until they discovered my bc. My onc implied that my bc was from HRT. My GYN just blew it off - he was the one that ordered it for me. Every year I asked him about the risk and he told me the studies were inconclusive and the risk was low ...yeah right - haven't been back to see him again!

    Deb

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  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 12,678
    edited February 2009

    Hi,

    I am too young for HRT but believe using birth control pills contributed to my cancer. I hate to hear about all these young girls using birth control.

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  • BonnieK
    BonnieK Member Posts: 655
    edited February 2009

    I was on a very low dose of HRT for almost 10 years.  The doctor kept telling me the risk was low and I had terrible symptoms so I kept taking the estrodiol and progesterone.  I feel certain that HRT is the reason for my cancer.  Hindsight is 20-20.

    ~Bonnie 

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  • Gitane
    Gitane Member Posts: 1,885
    edited February 2009

    I was just reading articles about updated research on this very topic. Research is showing that androgen receptors function differently in different people.  For some of us the AR function can be perturbed by low doses of synthetic progestin, acting as endocrine disruptors to negate the protective effects of androgen signaling in the breast. This means that the synthetic progestin in the HRT not only didn't protect us from the effects of the estrogen, it blocked the receptors so the natural androgens in our system couldn't use them either, so we lost that protection, too.  In a nutshell, we were floating in a sea of unopposed estrogen.  Being postmenopausal, our bodies didn't metabolize estrogen anyway all that well, so the HRT was just the frosting on the cake for us getting BC. 

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  • DML
    DML Member Posts: 17
    edited February 2009

    yes, 13 yrs HRT, but I am ER-, PR-, HER2+. 

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  • Valjean
    Valjean Member Posts: 1,898
    edited February 2009

    Susan,

    Yes, I used Prempro for 8 1/2 yrs before I was dx with bc. And, I'm certain it had everything to do with it. I was using it in the later years to help with the hot flashes; yeah right, now I'll find out what hot flashes are really like when I start the Armomasin the end of this month! I've had 22 rads treatments so far, getting near the end.  :)  (my oncotype score was 14)

    Sunshine & blue skies,

    Val

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    Interesting.  Thanks for the input everyone.

    I love my gyno, but she downplayed the problems with Prempo, as well.  I haven't the heart to bring it up, as she went through bc, as well a few years ago, and so has been a great help and support. 

    Valjean - Good luck with your tx.  Yeah, the hot flashes are the pits.  And, the depression.  And the facial hair.  And...well, you get it.

    Gitane - Thanks for the info.  My daughter is a nurse practioner in women's health and a horse owner, so she's always been against the Premarin (the foals that are the by-product of the pregnant mare's urine are a sad result).  I wish...oh, well.  Too late for that now.

    Makraz - Do you suppose that accounts for some of these extremely young girls w/ bc?  Geesh, I bet a bunch of us oldies were on birth control for years before HRT.  Talk about a double whammy. 

    Bonnie - Yes, how clear it is to us now. 

    Gramadeb - I know there are many causes for bc, but right now, I'm pretty convinced HRT has been a big factor, despite what some of the gynos say.

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  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 12,678
    edited February 2009

    mzmiller99 - I really do thing birth control accounts for some BC.  You're right about the double whammy with birth control an HRT.  UGH!

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  • elisabeth
    elisabeth Member Posts: 255
    edited February 2009

    Hi All. I went through menopause very early (46) and had hot flashes 24 hours a day and had no rem sleep for 2 years.  I finally took Premarin (and some brand of progesterone) and the hot flashes abated and I slept.  However, after I discovered how it was made along with other info I moved to compounded estrogen called Triest and compounded progesterone.  I was on HRT for a total of about 14 years thinking, like many, that it was protecting my heart, helping stave off osteoporosis (along with Fosomax, Calcium, D, etc.).  Well - I got BC and noone in my family had it, I am very lean, did not produce a lot of estrogen, etc.  So - who knows.  I did just read the articles that are on the Research thread that ties bc to HRT by some people.  What I want to know is if we have stopped HRT how does that impact our relapse rate?  I sure wish there would be some definitive answers because it would impact my decision about whether to stay on the horrible AI - ARimidex.

     Thanks. E 

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  • jancie
    jancie Member Posts: 2,631
    edited February 2009

    I wasn't on HRT but I was on the pill for 20 years and I took the STRONGEST pill that was available.  I didn't want children with my ex husband and so I always asked for the strongest bc pills that were on the market.  I finally got my tubes tied because I had been on the pill for so long and I was worried about the SE's in the long run.  Now I am wondering....

    I am perimenopausal and have been for over 2 years.  I had already made up my mind years ago that I would not take any HRT to combat the SE and that I would just push myself right through it.  I have several friends in their late 60's - early 70's that never took HRT and although it was rough with the hot flashes, sudden full body sweats, etc, they made it through it without taking anything.

    Another risk factor for me was the fact I started my period when I was only 9-1/2 years old and I think that is anothe reason why I started going premenopausal pretty early - I was around 45 when I started getting the symptoms.

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  • Deb-from-Ohio
    Deb-from-Ohio Member Posts: 1,140
    edited February 2009

    I took birth control pills for years.(I am 53 now) then had a total hysterectomy in 1993 and was put on Estratest.....(estrogen and testosterone), quit taking them in Oct 2008 when I was diagnosed. Both my Breast Surgeon and my Oncologist believe the hrt is what caused mine and I believe it also..

    Hugs

    Deb

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009
    Jancie - I was just going into to fifth grade when I got mine.  Undecided I had forgotten that that was also a risk factor.  I suppose my age and HRT use are my biggest ones, though.
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  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 12,678
    edited February 2009

    I was 10 when I got my period, is that the 6th grade??

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    I think more like 5th.  9-10 yrs old.

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  • Triciaski
    Triciaski Member Posts: 145
    edited February 2009

    I was on ERT for 7 years, right up until my diagnosis of BC. (I've had a hysterectomy without oophorectomy, so I didn't need progesterone.) I wore a small patch called a Vivelle DOT, which administered a low dose of estradiol. Every year, my gynecologist would ask me if I wanted to stop taking it or to lower my dose so it would be easier when I decided to quit. I told her I didn't plan to quit -- ever -- because of the horrible hot flashes. Well, what a surprise -- I've quit now -- I stopped right after the suspicious ultrasound without even waiting for the biopsy, and I'm again having hot flashes.

    Although none of my doctors has said anything about the ERT causing my BC, I have little doubt that it contributed to if not caused it. It just amazes me that for so many years, HRT was considered standard treatment and women were practically pressured into taking it. I think the reason no one else in my family has had breast cancer is because none of them took HRT, except for one of my aunts who, guess what, had breast cancer (the good news is, though, she's 95 now).

    Tricia

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  • rdrake0
    rdrake0 Member Posts: 180
    edited February 2009

    Anyone have any research about Oprah's new bio-hormone replacement she's all about these days?

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    No, but I guess we have to be skeptical until proven otherwise.  My daughter is in women's health care and when she OKs something, then I can believe.  She's not a fan...so far.

    Susan

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  • elisabeth
    elisabeth Member Posts: 255
    edited February 2009

    HI All.  I thought I would post this question again that I asked in my Feb 5 post.  I am so sick of the SEs from Arimidex.  Here's my question again.  And, Susan could you ask your daughter who is in women's health care?  Thanks so much.

    "What I want to know is if we have stopped HRT how does that impact our relapse rate?There are articles that say that we go back to producing very little estrogen when we go off of HRT.  I sure wish there would be some definitive answers because it would impact my decision about whether to stay on the horrible AI - ARimidex."

     Thanks. E  

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    E - I shoot her an email.  Good question.

    Susan

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    E - That's a good question.  I'll try to find out from "Nurse Ratchett"!

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    Holy Smoke!!  That's why I deleted the 1st one!!!

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  • CaseyDoodle
    CaseyDoodle Member Posts: 144
    edited February 2009

    I was on HRT for 10+ years and stopped when I received the BC diagnosis.  I am now on Arimidex and am having very few side effects - mainly minor hot flashes and joint pain.  I cannot believe that I stayed on HRT for so long without ever trying to come off of it.  My mother died in 1998 with ER+ breast cancer and she did the same thing I did.  You would think I would have learned.

    I used "bio-identical" hormones for a while and one day while talking to my gynecologist about it she said, "when using HRT, you have a choice between the devil we know, and the devil we don't know."  Bio-identicals are the devil we don't know, because no studies have been done to test whether they are safe.  I saw the Oprah show with Suzanne Somers and e-mailed The Oprah Show as soon as the show was over.  There was absolutely NO discussion of the increased risk of breast cancer using ANY HRT, whether pharmacy grade or bio-identical.  I couldn't believe it.  I believe it was negligent on the show's part to discuss HRT without discussing breast cancer.

    I am also interested in seeing an answer to elisabeth's question. 

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    E - I asked my onco  your question today at my appointment and he told me that the relapse rate decreases.  Does that answer your question?  I copied your post verbatum, so I hope that was what you were looking for.

    I guess the AIs are just another tool to help eliminate the risk of recurrence.

    And, get this, he took me off the Arimidex!!!  The pain has really been  increasing lately and last night I hurt from head to toe, woke up at 2:30 AM in agony.  Yell  He said it was a quality of life thing and that we'd try something different in a couple weeks!!  I figured he just tell me to suck it up.  I knew I liked him!

    Susan

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  • elisabeth
    elisabeth Member Posts: 255
    edited February 2009

    Hi Susan.  Thanks so much for asking.  That was very kind of you.  So he did say that the rate of recurrence does decrease once you are off HRT?  I sure hope that is the case.

    I saw your post about going off of ARimidex.  I'll be interested to hear how you do on Aromasin.  I just don't want to try another AI.  Please tell me how you do, but for now enjoy your 2-3 weeks of freedom.

    E 

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  • artsee
    artsee Member Posts: 1,576
    edited February 2009

    I never took any HRT or birth control pills.The only thing that I had going for me in getting BC was that I got my period when I was 10.

    I was on Aromasin for 6 month and it was horrible. So i am taking a 4 month break and then my onco wants me to try Femara. Unfortunately I suspect the AI's are all the same although he says they are made up of different components. No estrogen does the same no matter what you take, that's the way I see it.

    Artsee

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    artsee - what problems did you have on Aromasin?  I'll be going on it after a brief break from Arimidex.  The pains in my joints were getting pretty nasty. 

    And, now that I've been off the Arimidex, I've only had a couple hot flashes per day!!!  My eyes are still pretty dry - although I may need to change my contacts!  So, I'm enjoying my break!Smile

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  • WellWater
    WellWater Member Posts: 6,546
    edited February 2009

    I'm on an Arimidex AI break also - have been since Dec 28th and I'm loving it.  I can get out of bed and my feet will bend when they first hit the floor - no more shuffling around like a 90 year old.  I can get out of a chair and my knees will bend, my back will be straight...ahhhhh.  But I'm soon to go on to Aromasin because the Arimidex caused a bad case of tendonitis in my wrists plus pain on my side that was unbearable.  I sent the script into the mail order pharmacy several weeks ago and obviously they're sending it back pony express but it hasn't arrived yet but that's ok - I'm sure not in any hurry to go back on.  The only reason I'm doing it is because I am so scared of recurrance but if the Aromasin is as bad as the Arimidex then I'll have to try yet another one.  Sigh.

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  • WellWater
    WellWater Member Posts: 6,546
    edited February 2009

    Sorry, chemo brain.  In answer to the HRT question.  Yes, I was on Prempro for about 5 years - my PCP acted as if it were a life saving drug because of the benefit of bone protection.  When it came out that the drug could potentially cause heart problems I immediately went off of it.  Then several years later - voila - breast cancer.  So yes, I do lay my BC at the doorstep of HRT - no one in my family has had BC except me......

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  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited February 2009

    Sometimes I feel as though I'm swimming against the tide.  All this and still we get mets.  Just reading about two more early stage gals who developed brain mets.  WTF? 

     Sorry to be profane, but when I read something like that, I have to wonder what it means to be in the 90% no recurrence group?  Not much, if you find out, all of the sudden, you're in the 10% "oops we goofed" group.

    This disease needs to be brought to its knees.  Now.

    Susan

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  • elisabeth
    elisabeth Member Posts: 255
    edited February 2009

    Hi Susan.  Never apologize for profanity.  We need to say and express whatever we want.  A good old WTF, I think, helps even if it is for a second.

    Yes, why does a substance that is naturally occurring to the body turn against so many of us?  Where is the research on that?  

    I was on HRT for a long time.  Premarin for a short period of time and then Triest and micronized progesterone - supposedly all natural.  And, like wellwater, it was supposed to help me with bone density, etc.  I have no BC in my family and I have none of the characteristics (weight,etc) that supposedly increase one's chances of getting it.  So - I agree with Susan -WTF.

    E 

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