I joined the site today and it has been a great help reading this post as I’ve felt so alone. I’m 32 and was diagnosed with breast cancer four weeks ago. I was devastated to learn that my chemo (TAC) might affect my fertilty as I don’t have any children.
Fortunately I was referred to a fertility specialist who started me on IVF treatment straight away. After just 7 days of injections I produced 10 eggs, 7 were fertilised and have been frozen today. I’ve also had a zoladex injection to hopefully protect my ovaries but I’m not sure if this will work?
I feel I’ve done all I can to protect my fertility but I still feel anxious as nothing is certain. I’m praying that my periods will return after chemo. First chemo is Monday
This post gives me some hope that there is a chance I will have children in the future. It would be great to hear from anyone else who’s periods have returned after chemo and anyone who has had embryos frozen. My family and friends are very supportive but it’s good to hear from women who are going through the same thing.
well its almost a year since i last posted on this page and what a lot can happen in a year…
found out i was a brca 2 gene carrier in january and becuase of the increased risk of ovarian cancer i had a hysterectomy and ovaries removed 10 days ago so wont be having any more bubbas now.
i have had lots of time to work through my options and was quite happy with my decision but i am in the lucky position that i already have two teenagers who i love to bits, which has obviously made my decision easier… the fact that my partner is being a bit unsupportive of late has also helped me feel iv made the right decision.
Lulu - sorry to hear your news and that your partner isn’t supporting you as you might hope. I think it’s very easy for people to forget how much we’ve all been through!
Phee - I hope this will reassure you. Since I posted last my period returned. I was 37 when I started treatment. I started in April, finished in July and by Christmas had got my period back. Never have I been so happy about getting PMS! As a relative youngster, your chances are much higher than mine were of recovering your fertility, so don’t despair. There are lots of stories of women who have had treatment and gone on to have babies.I’m about to have IVF in a few months to freeze some embryos (hopefully) as I want to wait 2-3 years post treatment to have children and then I’ll be in my forties so it seems like a good insurance policy. Best of luck with your treatment - you will get through it and it does get better.
Flora- sorry to hear IVF didnt work for you, that must have been pretty gutting. How many years have you been on tamoxifen? I was planning to stop mine three years post chemo to try for a baby. Did you come off the tamoxifen for your IVF treatment? My doctor is telling me I dont need to.
Jess - that’s wonderful, wonderful news. Will keep everything crossed for you.
Hi Lisa
I’ve only been on tamox since April. My current plan is: next 9 months finishing herceptin course, then 6 more months of zoladex, then wait for periods to return, then come off tamoxifen and try and get pregnant. That takes me well into 2012 and aged 39! At least I have an idea of the possibilities now.
This is my first time on the forum! I was diagnosed with Stage II oestrogen positive with 1 lymph node affected in Oct 2007 age 38. I have no children and previously had 2 miscarriages. My Oncologist said freezing eggs was not an option as needed to get on with treatment - mastectomy, lymph nodes removed, FEC & Taxotere, radio, zoladex & tamoxifen for 5 yrs.
I was given the impression that there would be a very slim chance of being fertile because of treatment and my age.
Low & behold I had my first period in June (after nearly 3 years!) and another 2 periods since. I have seen 2 fertility specialists. First one said I was just about fertile. Went to see 2nd specialist because needed more advice. Had hormone tests which reveal I have no ovarian reserve but the FSH is normal!
I am 41 next month so time is not on my side and I have had to stop the Tamoxifen temporarily to have the tests done. Is there any chance I can get pregnant or am I crackers even contemplating it anyway??? Nobody seems to be able to give me any answers! Any comments would be appreciated.
I recognise some of you girlies and some of you may know where I am up to, but here goes. Dx May 2009, no time to harvest any eggs, straight on with chemo. Last period was Sep 09 and no sign of them returning. Just finished year of herceptin and had the hormone test which shows I am post menopausal (just). Oncky is giving me til Dec to see if periods return, but unlikely as they would have made an appearance by now Ovaries are strange things and can kick in again, but as my cancer is agressive, it would be more beneficial for me to switch from tamox to arimidex as this has better results in HER2+ cancers (approx 3%). Yes, I know I should be grabbing his hand off at every 1%, but I didn’t want to go through life and not have children. What a dilema!!! Well, actually no dilema, cos if periods don’t come back, the decision has been made for me and I will have to be thankful for what I have and still being here (which I am) - hard though x x
Hi and sorry your going through this. I was dx nearly 4 years ago aged 28. My first thought when being told the news was not about the cancer but about having children. I was just about to get married and was planning to start a family with my new husband.
My cancer was hormone positive so harvesting eggs was not an option for me as the cancer could grow even quicker. I went on to have 6 lots of FEC chemo and 18 lots of radiotherapy. I was told my periods would probably stop and chemo would make me infertile.
My periods continued althrough treatment although barely there at all but they did hang in there. About 3 months after rads my periods returned to normal and have been with me ever since. I have 2 years left on Tamoxifen and i’m counting the days until we can start trying for a baby.
A friend of a friend of mine was having treatment the same time as me ( she wasn’t hormone positive ) and is now expecting her first child.
The decision is ultimately yours but stay strong and believe that there is hope.
Take Care,
Mandy xxx
Indeed, Lisa, a plan does help us see into the future a little more clearly. I forgot to answer one of your questions - I wasn’t on Tamoxifen when I had the IVF treatment, so I don’t know whether you can be on it or not, but (without going and checking the leaflet) I thought you weren’t supposed to get pregnant while on it.
Kittycat, I don’t know what having “no ovarian reserve” and a normal FSH means, so it is hard to say if you have a chance still. I don’t think you’d be crackers to try. I fully intend to. There are some who have made a decision not to, particularly if they are ER+, but I am not yet convinced on the evidence that pregnancy decreases your chances of survival, so its a risk we’re willing to take.
Jayney, keeping everything crossed that your periods do come back. You do seem too young to be post-menopausal, even having gone through all of the treatments.
Mandy, your oncky sounds a bit negative. I am ER+ and PR+ and my team said that as the IVF would be followed so closely by the chemo, the risk of the extra oestrogen would not be a problem. I have been told that FEC-T is not the most likely chemo to cause infertility, some are much harsher. You have 10 years on many of us, so I would have thought your chances were better as far as return of fertility.
Good luck to everyone who is playing the waiting game or trying.
xxxxx
Mandy - your situation seems very similar to me but your are younger than me so I wish you every success for when you have finished Tamoxifen. I will be 43 when I have finished Tamoxifen (apparently the magic age when most woman have no eggs remaining!)
Flora - All the very best to you too and for being so brave to make the decision that you are going to try.
I am still in turmoil but my hubby is very worried about a pregnancy causing the BC to come back.
I think I need to accept that I am practically infertile anyway and enjoy my life instead!
If I can be of help to anyone with my experiences just ask.
Hi, I am 2 years cancer free, and 20 months post treatments. Am 43,and my periods have not yet come back atall, nothing. still get small hot flashes daily - feel selfish saying this after reading all your stories about having to go thru egg harvesting or the prospect of no children atall - but we have 3 kids and we really wanted more. aside, I know my age is a critical factor - but have any of ye experienced anything like me - i mean - does TAC probably lower your chances of your periods coming back - we are so sad we cant have any more kids. My gynecologist keeps telling me that my periods should come back - that I’m too young for menopause given the ages of my kids already - that my periods should return and conception might be a possibility - how long does it take for periods to come back and has anyone waited as long as me? are we fooling ourselves, anyone have any words of wisdom on this please?
I had triple negative breast with lymph involvemnet. lumpectomy, followed by mastectomy, 6XTAC sessions, followed by 7 weeks radiation, and sternum radiation (not that common - more to do with my ‘type’ of cancer. No other follow up treatments since I’m node negative; Just on bone medication daily ‘bondronat’ to stop bone metastatics occuring - was diagnosed when my youngest was 5months old, my second was 2yrs old and my eldest was 4yrs old. thanks for any info lol
Just wanted to let you know you are not on your own about being upset at not being able to extend your family. I was dx at age 36 in march and my two boys were. 4 and 2 then. We were trying for baby number three but fortunately it hadn’t happened yet. I am eternally grateful for my two boys but coming to terms with how this year has turned out, I had in my head expected to have a new born around now and instead am in the middle of radiotherapy and have 4 years 11 months of tamoxifen to go, which hopefully brings me to age 41, not sure if I would try again then or even be able to and instead am watching my friends having the year I wanted with lots of babies being born around now. A big realisation this year that you simply cannot plan your life and expect the universe to comply. Have had to put all the baby paraphenalia in my sisters garage as cannot stand to see it but can’t bring myself to give away travel cot, cot, sterilizer etc. So I know how you are feeling! Xxx
Hi all,
Just wanted to put some good news on here for anyone who reads this thread looking for info on fertility.
I started this thread just after I was diagnosed, when my daughter was just 8 weeks old.
My tumour was 2.5cm, grade three, triple negative, no nodes. I had a lumpectomy, 6 x TAC and 3 weeks of rads, finishing treatment in Feb 2010.
I was very concerned about my fertility throughout as you’ll know from the preceding thread and pushed hard for all the options to be kept open for me. My periods returned in about July 2010, and I fell pregnant quite soon after, though sadly lost the baby at about 8 weeks. I think my body was not ready to cope after the treatment bombardment.
One year later I am pleased to say I am 14 weeks pregnant, with the baby due in April, exactly three years after Mabel was born. I am hoping this time round it’ll be a bit more straightforward and that without chemo I may actually experience and remember some of my next baby’s first few months!
So my message is really that there is hope for some of you. Chemo is not necessarily then end of you chances - of course for me because I was triple negative the oestrogen issues did not arise.
I have no way of knowing why I was lucky with my fertility but I would recommend to people that they push their oncologists to let them have zoladex injections throughout chemo - the theory being that this ‘shuts down’ your ovaries temporarily so that the chemo does not attack the cells as it otherwise would (which is what results in infertility thereafter). I pushed for and got this (despite the drug not be licenced for this) and I credit it with my current pregnancy (only anecdote I know, but it has to be worth a go!).
Anyway good luck anyone going through this rottenness - there is some hope. Love Jess
