31yrs old and worried about the 10yr plan of hormone therapy...

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flgirl13
flgirl13 Member Posts: 1
edited January 2018 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year at the age of 31, invasive ductial carcinoma/Estrogen + HER-. I completed 20 weeks of chemo and recently had a bilateral mastectomy with a sentinel node dissection. I'm thankfully now cancer free. My doctors want to start hormone therapy for 10 years and I am very uneasy about this. I want to give my body a chance to get pregnant but more importantly considered with long term side effects. Any thoughts or input?

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  • Michelle_in_cornland
    Michelle_in_cornland Member Posts: 1,689
    edited January 2018

    Look for other threads on the hormonal forum that are related to pregnancy and hormone therapy. There are some already in progress.

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  • Axolotl
    Axolotl Member Posts: 56
    edited January 2018

    Hi flgirl13, I'm 37, newly diagnosed with IDC/DCIS that is strongly ER+/PR+. In one conversation I had with my MO, she said that if I wanted to have children, she wanted me to have a minimum of 2 years on Tamoxifen, but that 5 years would be better and for up to 10 years. So, talk to your MO, perhaps there is flexibility in your treatment plan. You could at least start it and reconsider if the side effects become too much. I believe the research indicates that Tamoxifen really improves long-term outcomes, and I am scared to skip it entirely.

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  • sm627
    sm627 Member Posts: 298
    edited January 2018

    Dear flgirl13,

    You have been through so much I want to send you all my Love and Hugs too. I know how you feel I was not sure about starting Tamoxifen after my mastectomy(right) in June, 2017 at 33 years old. After I thought about it for 2 months I thought I would try it out for 3 months and if I could not stand it I was going to stop and just hope for the best that BC would not come back again. The 3 month mark came on Christmas day and the side effects have gotten better and more mild to the point that I can live with them. The first 3 months was my adjustment period and some days were better then others, but as time went on some side effects I had went away altogether within a week or 2. I am very thankful not to feel really tired or like my head is in a foggy state of mind those side effects were gone within a week. As far as having children my MO said I could take a break from Tamoxifen to have children and not have to make up for it by adding any extra months or years.

    This is a very hard choice to make, so take your time and think about if it is the right one for you. Get all the information you need to help you weigh the pros and cons. I wish you all the best in whatever decision you decide to make.

    If you have any question or just need someone to talk to or listen I am here for you! Us BC Sisters in our 30s have to stick together through all this cancer crap.

    Hugs and Love,

    Sara

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