Hi Liz,
What a brilliant post!
I was diagnosed when I was 23, I’m nerly 3.5 years done the line and have not got my periods back (although I am still on the Tamoxifen and Zoladex) and I know pregnancy wont be an option until my treatment is done, but I do worry about being infertile and never being able to give my fiance children.
This story has made me smile so much! Makes me think that it might work out ok for me too!!!
Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy 
Erin x
HI Liz,
This is such a good story, my mum is 46 and has recently been diagnosed with secondaries, so these storys are always a pleasure to read between us as mum and daughter xx
What an absolutely fantastic story, wishing you and your little family a very happy and bright future. Well done x
congratulations!!! I was in a similar position to you and I went on to have 2, one of each, they are a constant source of joy and the best reason in the worls to keep on fighting…wishing you a wonderful pregnancy…enjoy XXXX jeanettexx P.s if youe look very closely in my avitar (profile pic) you can see them sitting there on that log!
I have just logged back in and am so happy to see all your lovely responses. I’m glad it’s made some of you feel positive - that’s exactly what I wanted as I so wanted to find stories of people who had their lives back when I was bald and cross and feeling like crap. I know how rough and rubbish it is to be in the middle of it all, and to want to know what your life will be like when you (with everything crossed) come out the other side. I wish you all good luck and good health with the pesky bloomin cancer. Sending lots of love xx
What a lovely story - so inspiring. This is my first time back on here for a while and when I read this tears ran down my face.
I am so pleased for you, what wonderful news when you were dreading the worst. Personally, I am 2 years 8 months from diagnosis (was diagnosed whilst breast feeding my son) and always thought a further pregnancy wasn’t a possibility. Your post has given me hope, thankyou and good luck with everything. I love it when we can stick the big finger up at cancer xxx
Hi everyone - this is my first post on here, I was diagnosed a month ago and i feel like i have been in a whirlwind ever since. I had my lump removed last week and chemo is due to start soon. I was introduced to the idea of fertility preservation and IVF and have seen a specialist however I have been told i am too late in my current period cycle and would now need to wait 2 weeks at least before they could do an egg harvest. I am struggling with the decisions i am having to make at 29 years old. I have a wonderful fiance who is fully supportive but i so desperately want a family with him but don’t want to risk the cancer coming back or increasing my chances of it coming back by delaying chemo to do IVF or doing IVF and increasing my hormone levels. This post has given me hope but any advice on IVF would be really appreciated.
Thanks xxx
Hi, so sorry to hear of your dx. I was diagnosed march 2010 at age 36, I had two boys already but was trying for a third. Your periods are likely to come back after chemo but not definitely, and even if they do the eggs could have been damaged. Have you seen a fertility specialist yet? I would definitely see the expert ASAP if not. I went to a young women’s forum this year and a fertility consultant was one of the speakers and was fantastic. He was from Liverpool women’s hospital and they have a 2 week target to see and prioritise ladies in your position, so your health authority may have similar? He told us about natural IVF where they take an egg from your natural cycle without having to stimulate your body with hormones. Maybe that could be an option? There’s a couple of threads I will bump up for you, one has a fantastic paper about fertility and pregnancy post breast cancer, and the other is a collection of experiences forum members have posted about if their periods returned and when. My own view is that if possible I would go for having some embryos frozen now. You will be young enough to use them WHEN you get through this. I’m wishing I’d considered it more seriously now that I’m 18 months post diagnosis but it’s so hard to think beyond terror at your stage. Listen to your doctors too, as much will depend on your individual diagnosis, size, grade,spread and type of tumour, how oestrogen positive it is etc.
All the very very best to you
Vickie
X
Hello YC,
Sorry you’ve had to join the club that nobody wants to be a member of. The beginning is a total rollercoaster. I was diagnosed in May aged 33 and had about 10 days from diagnosis to starting chemo. My one regret is not having researched the egg harvesting properly. My husband and I had just started trying for children when I was diagnosed.
Obviously we’re not medical experts on here and can only advise from our experiences and emotions. I take it your tumour is ER+ - my cancer is too, and I went to a fertility clinic and saw a consultant who said that due to the size of my tumour, lymph node involvement and being ER+ that he wouldn’t be happy giving me hormones to harvest eggs. I therefore rushed into chemo in a huge panic. My one regret is not having a second opinion as I have since met similar aged girls with a similar diagnosis who HAVE had eggs harvested and embryos stored. The whole fertility thing weighs heavily on my mind and really worries me.
We can’t make any decisions for you - you need to discuss this with your oncologist, gynaecologist and fiance.
Although terrible to be diagnosed under 30, you do have age on your side with regards keeping your fertility - and being able to finish all treatment at young age to start your family. However, there are risks involved with the chemo - and these need to be explained to you in depth. Another option if you don’t want to delay chemo is to have Zolodex injections which shut down your ovaries - but my oncologist didn’t believe in this (but many do) and said that there wasn’t enough proof that it protected fertility and there was a risk of cancer cells being in the ovaries and not getting zapped by the chemo if the ovaries are switched off. Again - I wish I’d got a second opinion on this as it seems that many other oncologists don’t agree with that.
Unfortunately all the experts can do is give us educated opinions and some of them vary quite alot!! At the end of the day it is YOU that has to live with the consequences of any decisions made, so you need to think/talk things through properly - and if that involves more appointments to ask many, many more questions, I’d do it!!
Good luck, and let us know how it all goes.
x
Thats so, so lovely.
I was dx just 1 month before you also aged 28 and am holding out all hope that my husband and I can try for a baby when I come of Tamoxifen and Zoladex next Sept. My periods continued all through chemo and whilst on Tamoxifen, but have been on Zoladex since march as doc thinks as my periods were still regular Tamoxifen wasn’t working. Haven’t had a period since starting Zoladex.
I have been told they should return when coming off it,
Fingers crossed for me and what lovely news for you,
CONGRATULATIONS xxx
Hi Liz,
that’s the most amazing news!!! Huge congratulations!!! I am absolutely thrilled for you. I remember you v.well cause we were dx and went through treatment around the same time.
Your happy ending has brought a tear to my eye,
I wish you all the very best for the future, sleepless nights will be upon you before you know it!! Lol!!! Totally worth it though!,
Take care,
Kelly
-x-
Hi all,
I am posting the link to the BCC publication, ‘fertility issues and breast cancer’ as I think you may find it helpful. It contains information on how treatment may affect your fertility and ways of trying to preserve it. It also includes issues such as pregnancy after a diagnosis. If you would like a copy or to read this on line just follow this link:-
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes Sam, BCC Facilitator
This made me cry what a lovely ending to a awful story. My mums just been diagnosed grade 2, 1.5cm, 3/5 nodes need chemo, rads, mx.
Your stories made me feel so more positive.
Good luck and enjoy being a Mummy xx
CONGRAULATIONS! soo good to read this story. I was only 22 when i was diagnosed and i couldnt freeze any eggs so was left very upset. Reading this as gave me hope that one day it just might happen. Thank you and best wishes!! x
Congratulations and I wish you so much happiness. It’s wonderful.
Malx
Thank you so much for sharing your good news, this is my first time on this forum as I read your story I was in floods of tears it was like reading about myself. I am desperate to be a mum but feel that a massive pause button has been put on my life. Reading your story gives me so much hope so thank you!
Best of luck to you and your new family x
Kelly
Liz thank you so much for your post, just what i needed to hear. so happy to hear you are doing so well and are so happy!!
all the best, take care.
Lynzi xxx
What a lovely story, just recently diagnosed and was feeling rather low your story brought a tear to my eye and gave me hope.
Congratulations and good luck in the future xx
Hi Liz, thank you for posting your story on here. This is just what I needed to read and it has given me hope that some day in the future I could well have a baby.
I am new to this site and have only just been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at the age of 29. I miscarried our first baby back in November at 20 weeks and have just this week found out I am pregnant again. However, after discussing it with our consultant my husband and I have made the heart breaking decision not to go ahead with the pregnancy. I need to concentrate on getting myself through what is to come.
Thank you once again, congratulations and all the best for the future.
xx
Hello! I was browsing on here as had my annual check up this week which went well. I wanted to let you all know I gave birth to a beautiful healthy boy on 10th March. Our lovely Thomas is now 6 mths, has his first two teeth and is eating everything in sight. I even managed to breast feed wione the one remaining boob. I hope you are all doing well. Much love xx