I have had treatment for bc and I am everything positive! I have 2 daughters 17 and 20. The are both on the combined pill at the moment. One has been to gp today who says by her early 20’s she should be coming off of the pill, due to our family history. The other has been told that she should be ok to wait until late 20’s.
They both take the pill to help regulate periods as well as for contraceptive for the older one.
Anyone got any ideas on the best thing for them?
Difficult one, and something I’m having to think about with relation to my daughters, two of whom have very painful periods.
I was given the Mirena coil, but that’s progesterone, and I don’t think they generally like giving the coil to women who haven’t had babies, but I could be wrong. That resulted in much lighter periods for me, but the progesterone worries me a little.
You’ve given me food for thought, cmw, thank you for raising the question, even if we don’t have the answers! Looking forward to reading other people’s views on this.
hello
I asked my consultant when my daughter was with me for an appointment and he told her that he is happier for her to use hormonal contraception than unwanted pregnancy. I was 38 at first dx and he’s told her he’ll start to see her at the end of her 20s, she’s 23. I trust his judgment for her situation, he is really thorough.
hope this is helpful
monica x
with only one affected person there is no contraindication to taking the COC…
you basically need to have a really extensive family history or be a gene carrier to consider the risk significantly increased over the population… breast cancer isnt so common in younger but its thought that being on the pill accounts for about 2 more cancers per 10000 women who took the pill for 5 years in their 30s and about 20 more in their 50s… being obese or drinking 1 large glass of wine a day is about the same risk… however those who develop bc on the pill find it at an earlier stage when its easier to treat… we arent sure if this is an effect of the pill or if people taking it are more breast aware.
also the risk of unwanted pregnancy has to be weighed up too… and the risks that come from that.
there are probably other ways they could minimise their risk at an early age by keeping fit and healthy, eating a balanced diet and limiting their alcohol intake.
i would recommend they visit an actual family planning clinic rather than gp for initial assessment… GPs are very good but not specialists… FP clinic can do a more thorough assessement… but if you want info you can check out the FFPRHC website which has guidance on the use of certain contraception… also the UKMEC (and WHOMEC) medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use tells you whether something is safe, can be used, has risk or should be avoided… and the COC has unrestricted use for those with a family history of BC… the GPs (both of them) are over reacting and need to get their info correct… things like obesity, hypertension, smoking and some types of migraine are the contraindications they need to worry about if they are on the pill.
Lulu x
Hello
I went to the family planning clinic and got lots of information on contraceptives so it is def worth a visit. Studies haven’t found a correlation between BC and the progesterone only pill, only with the combined pill. that doesn’t mean there isn’t one, they just might not have found it yet. In the end, after speaking to onc, GP and clinic they decided the mirena coil was best option as it has such a low dose of hormones and still regulates periods. I’ve not had kids and age 30 but maybe they don’t put coils in young ladies. There is a non- hormonal coil too but apparently has bad SEs and heavy periods. Now just have to persuade OH that the coil won’t bring the BC back!
Cat xx
Dear cmw, I would advise your daughters to come off the pill and find another contraception such as the coil but not the mirina as that has oestrogen in it.
We are bombarded with high levels of hormones from food and the type of food we eat and many people have hormone imbalances particularly high oestrogen levels. I think the pill is a big contributary factor to BC. Look at HRT and how the medical profession pushed women to go on it and now they are finding it is associated with cancer risks.
Best wishes
That is a really difficult one. They might want to look at the mirena coil which can stop or reduce periods as well. The mirena has progesterone in it but not oestrogen (or didn’t used to). I had one inserted and hadn’t had children - it’s a bit more painful but it was over quickly and I took ibuprofen afterwards. I think the best thing is to get some expert advice on the alternatives and then it will be a case of weighing up the risk of pregnancy etc. Elinda x
The problem with the coil is that in rare cases it can cause infection which could lead to infertility. So not the contraception of first choice for a young childless woman.
My older daughter is on the pill for contraception, my younger one is about to go on for painful periods which make her life a misery for several days every month. I wish there was an alternative but there doesn’t seem to be.