Pregnancy after stage III breast cancer

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Waronbreastcancer
Waronbreastcancer Member Posts: 24
edited April 2018 in Stage III Breast Cancer

Dear ladies,

I was wondering if anybody with stage III breast cancer would like to share their thoughts on pregnancy.. I had stage 3C breast cancer 16 months ago and though it was a big blow, I have not given up on having children. Does anybody know someone who has gotten pregnant after stage III breast cancer or maybe someone is planning this? My doctor says that we will discuss this issue in 2 years from now and he overall seems quite positive that this might be a possibility despite the advanced cancer diagnosis.

Kind regards

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited January 2017

    Hi waronbreastcancer, and welcome to Breastcancer.org,

    We're so sorry you have to be here, but really glad you found us. You're sure to find great support and advice here from many others who have faced the decisions you're dealing with.

    You may also want to join in on the Young With Breast Cancer forum, where many of our other younger members are making decisions regarding building a family after a breast cancer diagnosis.

    We hope this helps and we hope to hear more from you soon. Please let us know if you need anything at all!

    --The Mods

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  • SSInUK
    SSInUK Member Posts: 245
    edited January 2017

    Hi there - what was the detail of your diagnosis? We're you ER+? Are you on anti hormonsls? A bit more tech info might get some more helpful / specific responses. Guessing you're quite young - so sorry for tha

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  • LM070917
    LM070917 Member Posts: 323
    edited February 2017

    Hey, yep I am 35 years old, a stage 3er and have no children, so I definitely would like to have them in future. I was dx nearly 1.5 ago. My oncologist wants me to wait the full five years of hormone therapy (I've done 1 year so far), but I'm happy to compromise at 3.5-4 years, otherwise I think it might be too late. I went through IVF and have embryos on ice. I am highly ER. It's still a path I'm willing to pursue. In fact my oncologist has said that in the past, women who are ER+ have been advised against getting pregnant, but research shows that just because you are ER+ doesn't mean that cancer is that simple, in that you'll get it back. When you're pregnant it's estriol that goes crazy, not esstradiol which is believed to spark cancer. My gyn has known 3 ladies who are highly ER+ and have had babies with no recurrence. My oncologist says the highest risk is within the first five years, regardless of having a baby or not. Sometimes women come off hormone therapy to try for a baby and then it comes back, but it's likely that this may have been caused by not being on the pills anymore..I think the research is this area is very limited. For me, I think if I continue to take my pills, lead a healthy lifestyle then I'm willing to pursue the idea of having a baby in 2-3 years down the line. Cancer has taken away a lot and I'm not willing to let it dictate the rest of my life. Good luck

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  • Waronbreastcancer
    Waronbreastcancer Member Posts: 24
    edited February 2017

    Thank you for your replies. My cancer was 100 hormone positive, so I'm doing Letrozole and Zoladex. I'm 31 years old. My doctor has said that we will discuss pregnancy two years from now. Sometimes it's hard to stay optimistic when it comes to children though. Sounds like we have a similar time frame in mind @lottemarine

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  • Nickel103
    Nickel103 Member Posts: 42
    edited April 2018

    Hello ladies,

    I know this post is from last year, but I’m wondering if you’d offer any update on your decisions. I’m very much in the same boat. Very ER+ (And her2 as well), also with lymph node involvement. I froze embryos prior to chemo and am considering coming off Lupron and letrozole at 18 months to 2 years to attempt a pregnancy. Would really love to hear from others in similar situations on how you’ve been grappling with the decision. My oncologist has referenced all the recent research on there not being an increased risk. But I know these studies are kind of recent and the fear of recurrence, especially with lymph node involvement feels very real.

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  • Waronbreastcancer
    Waronbreastcancer Member Posts: 24
    edited April 2018

    Dear Nicket103, I actually decided to take the surrogate route... In fact we are expecting our first child in August. But I also had a lot of nodes involved and my cancer was 100 percent hormonal positive. My doctor did not advice me against becoming pregnant, but I did not know if I could handle the anxiety and insecurity whether or not I was putting myself in a greater risk by becoming pregnant. Hence our decision :)

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  • hopefour
    hopefour Member Posts: 459
    edited April 2018

    Congratulations Waronbreastcancer on the exciting news of excepting your first precious baby!!! Please, keep us posted on when your blessing gets here as we'd all love to celebrate with you!!

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  • Waronbreastcancer
    Waronbreastcancer Member Posts: 24
    edited April 2018

    Thank you so much hopefour! It really is very exiting!! I promise to keep you updated

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  • Limkgirl
    Limkgirl Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2018

    hi ladies, I'm doing a donor egg cycle, unfortunately the last 2 rounds have failed. I'm gutted. I've had my ovaries out as I'm brca2. I'm on aromatose inhibitors now. I'm 7 years in June this year. I've been off my aromatose inhibitors a year, we have 3 embryos left and waiting to do another cycle in may. My oncologist is very supportive. He says the percentage of hormone therapy is marginally beneficial. I'm able to take the tabs in between rounds. Dr Kutluk Oktay is a specialist in New York in this field for bc patients. I had a consult with him via skyp. Hope this helps ladies xx

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  • Nickel103
    Nickel103 Member Posts: 42
    edited April 2018

    Waronbreast,

    Congratulations! August is so soon! That is such wonderful news :)

    My husband and I discussed using a surrogate as well and have even spoken to several surrogacy agencies, but mostly are so deterred by the insane costs. We unfortunately don’t really have any family or friends in a position to carry for us now.

    Would you mind sharing your experience if you used an agency? If you don’t mind to share, feel free to PM if you feel it’s too much to detail to give openly. Thanks for sharing so much already. This is such a unique and awful position to be in, but it does help to hear from other women who’ve dealt with these decisions.

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  • Nickel103
    Nickel103 Member Posts: 42
    edited April 2018

    Limkgirl, you are a champ! 7 years!

    I’m sorry to hear of your failed cycles. Three embryos sounds like a great shot still though. Will be hoping for good news for you. Stay strong :)

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