Hormonal imbalances and Cancer

Personally, I do think hormonal imbalance is the cause of breast cancer for some women. Certainly not for all or even most, but definately some. I think it's what caused mine although I'm sure excessive testosterone or PCOS has never been my problem.  Although I've never had the level tested, when it comes to testosterone I'm sure that I've had subnormal levels throughout most of my life - can't remember the last time I actually HAD to shave my legs ( maybe 15 years ago?) and even then the density and texture of the hair was nothing compared to most women and it wasn't really all that noticable if I didn't shave.  I've been in menopause for 7 years (now age 55) and have absolutely no trace of any of the dreaded facial hair that many women often get after menopause. Oddly enough, I used to grow a single, thick dark hair that grew very rapidly ONLY on my left breast each month until about age 40. That hair would fall out on it's own if I didn't pluck it myself and then grow again the next month - and my lumpectomy incision is directly over the very same spot where that single hair used to grow. Coincidence?? I honestly don't think so.

Peri-menopause seems to have started for me in my late 30's and by age 41 or 42 my menstrual periods, although continuing to be fairly regular, became much lighter and shorter and continued that way until about a year before they completely stopped at which time they just became irregular.  Haven't seen a single drop of menstrual blood since. Never had any of the excessive irregular bleeding some women have as they enter menopause. Never had any ovarian cyst issues. Never had fibrocystic breasts - they have always been very non-dense and are even more so now. Never had any problems with breast lumps and bumps, so never had a breast biopsy until the one that got me diagnosed after a routine mammogram spotted the tumor. I took birth control pills from age 17 to 28 and never took any HRT.

Throughout my 40's, I was constantly depressed (sometimes severely so) for no apparent reason and even spent an entire day and half while vacationing in Maui crying my eyes out and feeling suicidal - again, for no apparent reason.  Never went on any depression medication though, I just somehow knew it was all hormonal and kept waiting for it to pass. It finally did - when menopause began at age 48 and a half. That whole miserable cloud hanging over me for nearly a decade just gradually lifted completely within a few months after my periods stopped.  After that, I finally felt normal again.  And then I got diagnosed with breast cancer 8 months later. No family history that I'm aware of although my father did have prostate cancer about 10 years ago.

Hi, another T-girl here... my number was somewhere in the 50's before my BC diagnosis... and high T is something that has plagued me my entire life.  Oddly, my periods were pretty regular.  I had acne as a teenager that never entirely resolved, unwanted hair in various places, and ovarian cysts (but not the "string of pearls") but never could get diagnosed with PCOS although I did try a few times so I could get treated somehow. Seems like doctors just kept telling me everything was normal and sending me on my way, so frustrating!  A low-carb diet calmed it down but couldn't fix it completely.  But since they've shut my ovaries down with Zoladex I've had a few hot flashes, but the T levels have also dropped and my skin actually looks better now than before, at least for now.

But what is the mechanism of the problem here, does high testosterone tend to aromatize into excess estradiol which can fuel BC?  I've seen some other androgen dominant women with lots of hip and butt fat, the estrogen-dominance pattern, and I tend that way myself. Or does it create inflammation?  Anybody know?

MariannaHB, the taurine sounds very interesting, I think I'll look into that one.  

Fleur-

What is IR?  My nutritionist was mainly using the Taurine/B6 combo for helping me with IBS, so in turn I would not be throwing out so many hormones into my bloodstream. I am still a newbie with the hormones, but am quickly coming up to speed on how they work in my body, but do not know what a typical "androgen dominant" person looks like. For the record, I am fairly lean with a "straight up and down" type of figure, no hips, etc.I do know that I've dealt with acne since my teens, and the jawline stuff didn't start occuring until the birth of my 4 year old. That's when the IBS started too. 

I honestly think the IBS contributed greatly to my BC diagnosis, as I was not absorbing my nutrients, and was having problems with calcium levels, PTH levels, etc. I was really hoping I would not have to go on a gluten-sugar-dairy free diet, and still hold out hope that eventually I will be able to add them in..... ... because life without those things is really, really dull.

Very interesting thread.