Hi All,
Am 34 and just diagnosed, my cancer has been identified as hormone fed and has spread to the lymph, I am getting conflicting advise re having the treatment to harvest my eggs - can anyone who has been in this position advise? Especially if you have decided not to have it done - how do you feel about it now?
Any experiences would be a help - I really don’t know what to do.
Thanks :-))
I’m 30 and I have decided not to have it done.
Children have never been a priority for me so the decision wasn’t hard to make. Combine this with the fact that my cancer is hormone fed i just don’t think it’s worth the risk in getting pregnant further down the line just to have the cancer re-occur.
But at the end of the day it’s a very personal decision. If you still think that there is a chance that you would like to have children it’s better to plan for that now.
Hi Zoe,
I’m a 1977 girl too. 34 in October. Married for a year and a half, had moved house and changed jobs - all ready to start our family and now BOOM!
I was diagnosed on 23 May. My tumour is large (10cm), ER+ and has spread to the lymph nodes. My oncologist said I shouldn’t wait around for treatment and certainly shouldn’t up my oestrogen for egg harvesting! It also takes 4-6 weeks from when you get started (which can be delayed if you are on the NHS). I also went to see a fertility expert who told me the same thing and said, although it was my choice, he wouldn’t feel comfortable as he would have reccommended starting chemo ASAP. I started chemo on 7th June.
I am devestated at the thought of not being able to have children. Not only for me, but also for my husband who I know would be the best dad! However, there’s still a chance of retaining fertility and there’s always egg donation (not the same, I know). However, my immediate goal is just to get myself through this! It’s just very difficult when you’d had plans that you’d been working towards and then suddenly there’s a big question mark over your future.
There’s a natural form of egg harvesting that doesn’t involve pumping you full of hormones, but again it takes time and doesn’t generate many eggs. You could also look into having a whole ovary or slices of an ovary removed and frozen. They then replace it after treatment. It’s all very new and the success rate isn’t very high - but might be worth looking into?
There’s another thread on this. I’ll find it and bump it up for you. Save it to your “saved discussions” as people will add info to it as they go along the process.
At the moment I don’t regret my decision as I know that my tumour is significant in size and aggressive and I wouldn’t have been happy waiting around and feeding it with lots of hormones! However, I don’t know what I will feel in the future…
Obviously, only you can make the decision based on the information given to you by the experts. It’s a horrid decision to make. And a horrid situation to be in.
I’m going to the Young Women’s Breast Cancer Forum next weekend in London. I don’t know if they have any space left? But there are sessions on fertility etc. And I am looking forward to meeting similar aged people in the same situation.
PM me if you have any questions.
xxx
There’s on discussion here: breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/fertility-help-does-anyone-know-anything–t31539s12.html
I can’t find the other one that I had in mind (obviously need to take my own advice and save it to my “saved discussions”, but if I stumble across it, I’ll let you know.
x
I decided against this - but my position is different in that I have 2 children - we just always wanted a 3rd. And therefore I realise my decision was far easier than yours.
I didn’t think I should delay treatment - I am triple negative - but my tumour was aggressive, 4cm, and with enlarged nodes on scans.
Anyway - what I am meaning to say is that is that after 4 cycles of FEC my cycles are still intact. The chemo doesn’t always take fertility, but sadly there is no way to predict who. I am 30.
My heart truely does out to you both, and I wish there was a better way for younger ladies.
Hi There
I was 34 at time of 1st dx (grade 3, 7 cm tumor) and told I was too old for egg freezing!! I had mx I had 6 cycles of CMF tamoxifen + zoladex, my system kicked back in when all treatment stopped and at the grand old age of 39 I gave birth to a son, swiftly followed 20 months later by a girl!! I am back in ‘the ring’ now at 48 but it is not a spread or anything of the first BC, just a new primary some have said ‘unlucky’ I just say you gotta go with whatever hand you get dealt!! Despite it all when I look at my 2 beauties now 9&7 I got a really GOOD hand xxxx Love to you all Jeanette
J - was your first primary ER+? And were your lymph nodes positive?
You responded to my original thread when I got diagnosed with your story and it has filled me with hope. Thank you so much. I hope we are as lucky as you have been.
Cr*ppy that you’ve found yourself back here again, but hope the treatment is as successful as last time.
xxx
Hi ST
I am glad my story gives you a bit of hope , the 1st dx, yes I was ER+ and no node involvement, I had chemo because the tumor was 7cm and grade 3, this time however it is ER+ there is node involvement and ext LVI hence the FEC/TAX now, My prof still maintains I can beat this again, I am also waiting to hear abt the ‘need’ for herceptin, it was borderline so its gone away for further testing elsewhere? I hope I do not need H as I can’t do with the idea of carrying on with 3 weekly IV for best part of a year!!! Hey ho though can’t change things! I am in bed struggling after TAX 1 and listening to my two carrying on!!! All the best Jeanette xxxx
my neighbour changed her mind, as prevoiusly she didn’t want to freeze to save costs, but she was advised to do it in Poland, where it is cheaper and a programme of high quality. I rellocated and didnt know how the situation looks now.
Hi! I am sorry to hear of you going through this. I hope adding my own story doesn’t cause pain. I did an egg freeze because I thought I’d need chemo: this is in Melbourne. Obviously each case is different. They gave me tamoxifen (which is a fertility drug in first wks and a short cycle for harvesting. My fertility dr who specialises in fertility preservation says they think it is safe done this way. This was straight after surgery. It took less than 8 days and I got 24 eggs (at 41). Funny that at 39 Id gone to a women’s hospital (and the said I was too old to do a harvest!!). The same hospital is now partly involved in discussion of using these eggs in next years (I’m now about to turn 44). The evidence at the moment, which is patchy, suggests pregnancy following cancer does not lead to worse outcomes. I will need to break tamoxifen prior to the 5 yrs possibly and that of course could make a difference. If you are considering this ask lots of questions and ask for the studies and pick consultants that specialise in fertility preservation.
i was 26 with a son and daughter already upon being diagnosed. i chose to not get my ovaries removed. i gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 2014 and currently trying for another baby. im 34 now. i made a video on my breast cancer journey youtu.be/d13g9Wky4us