Early menopause & support

Hi NAT , My name is ANITA i was dignosed in 2008 just turned 40 . I had mastectomy chemo lymph removal and radio . I am now on Tamoxifen , I suffer so bad at night it is getting un barable . I must have to change my bedding 5 to 6 times a night . And right on que when I think about going to be the swets start . We have been threw so much , Then we have to deal with the pains , I get such severe pains in my legs , It affects my daily life so much , I have been to the doctor about hte swets and there say it is the tamoxifen and if I dont take it my cancer will come back .I think its a great i dea to start a discussions to see if there is any help out there . I cant take any HRT as my cancer is a hormoanal one .THEY ALSO GAVE ME A HYSTERECTOMY THEN LASY YEAR TOOK MY OVARIES . So I am in full menapause . Just wondring can it make you feel low and cause scary cancer dreams . INVASIVE DUCTAL CARCINOMA GRADE 2 , THINKING OF YOU HUN XX

hi girls the information relating to HRT and BC is variable… its thought that taking HRT before age 50 in non-bc patients doesnt increase your risk of BC as it doesnt make it as high as the levels you would be having naturally.

there is speculation about how effective removing your ovaries is in terms of reducing your risk of recurrence… ovaries removed before cancer does reduce your rsik of getting it by about 50% but there is no such research for people who have already had bc as far as im aware.

i am going to the menopause after cancer study day in london on may 5th so will avidly be taking notes and will report back.

Lulu x

Thanks Lulu looking forward to your report back…make sure you have some fun in Lanndan town too :slight_smile: xx

Hi Ladies
i saw my surgeon today as part of my six monthly checks, who unlike my onc was very willing to discuss HRT.
He said that current thinking was that for younger pre-menopausal women with TNBC it was perfectly ok to have HRT for 3-4 years. He said that it will not cause cancer, or bring my cancer back, but (isn’t there always a but!) if in that timeframe i developed a new hormone positive cancer - it would, quote, act like rocket fuel. He advised against extended use of HRT for that reason.
He also said that you had to weigh up the risks involved against quality of life - that every time we walk out of our door in the morning there are risks, but we choose to accept them as part of life!
Given that i feel 100% better since I’ve been on HRT, I think that I’ll take quality of life for now & see how i go.

xx

nat glad your feeling better on your HRT… you are so right about the risks that people take every day… also the majority of research relating to HRT is from research for about 10 years ago when they had different higher dosed hormone replacement therapy which isnt used now… they dont have evidence from newer low dose HRT which is more commonly used, but NICE dont recommend its use despite this.

I have had BC twice , once in 2006 at 36 ang again in 2009 at 41, both ER * -I didnt hqve any side effects from Tamoxifen- - the wonder drug it truley is - just did not work for me. All I can say is Tamioifem works for most young women - but not me - so if you still have periods and no menopause systoms -dont think all is ok - It MAY mean Tamixifen isnt working. Love And Best wishes to you all xx

hi all,
i was dx october 2009. age 40 with grade and stage one bc. i was put on tamoxifen and my periods were still regular but became more heavy. iam now on monthly zoladex injections and have not had a period since starting it a year ago. my consultant said it would be best for me to go on the zoladex to shut down my ovaries, with my bc being er positive xxx gaynor

Hi Folks

still having periods on tamoxifen isnt an indicator of whether its working or not… the majority of people on tamoxifen will continue to have periods… only a small number of women get amenorrhoea on tamox this is more likely to occur as a result of chemo and this can stop your periods for upto 3 year or even permanently

its not a case of the tamoxifen not working for some people but that some tumours are tamoxifen resistant… just want to reassure you ladies but if you have any concerns please speak to your BCN or you ONC for information.

Lulu x