HI, ive been on this site so many times in the past month but finaly had the courage to post something. I got diagnosed on 3rd november grade 3 stage 1. I had a left mastectomy on 16th nov and snb, my snb came back clear. I have my appointment with the oncologist tomorrow to sort my chemo regime and get my her2 result back. Im only 30 and have no children yet, i get married in august so was hoping to have children in the next few years. I saw an ivf consultant last week who advised me on the possibilty of freezing some embryos but i need to see the onc first to see if they think this is ok for me. Im wondering if anyone has been in this situation regarding ivf or has any advise as it all seems abit overwhelming. This site has really helped me cope since i was diagnosed. I have no bc in the family so have came as a huge shock but im really positive and strong and the ladies on here have been truely inspirational. x vicki
Hey there. I am 32 and was diagnosed in April. I was offered IVF then but felt everything moved so fast and i was scared so didnt take them up on it. I was told i would be having surgery 14 days after diagnosis and to be fair i couldnt make a decision.
The big difference is i have 2 little girls but did want more. What my surgeon said was there would be a very good chance i would still be fertile after all the treatment and only be 37 when i finish tamoxifen. My periods have been to the day through chemo. I doubt my ovaries have been damaged at all. Remember we are young and resiliant!! My opinion on IVF is that it is a lot of hormones for a hormone sensitive cancer to feed on and i was worried about delaying chemo and having all those hormones introduced.
Just my opinion and certainly not the only one i am very sure.
Good luck
Its doable, not nice but doable.
S
X
Hi,
I’m 29 and had grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma, strongly hormonal receptive. 3 nodes involved and I had a mx on 5th Nov. I have just got married and we were planning to start a family soon. We saw a fertility specialist and discussed IVF. We decided against it as it just didn’t sit right, freezing embryos for 5years+, but each to their own plus we couldn’t afford it as being under 30 we’d have to pay. Probably the main reason though for not doing it was that they’d have to pump me with oestrogen and as that is what my cancer lived on, any stray cells could get bigger and it just seemed too risky, even after the mastectomy. Plus it puts a delay on chemo.
At our age though they do seem quite positive about fertility. I was offered a jab to help protect my ovaries by the fertility specialist however my onc has said I can’t have it.
I start chemo on Monday, 6xFEC, not looking forwards to it but the advice and support from this forum has been fab. I wish you luck for tomorrow. Let us know the verdict.
Take Care
Em x
Hi pinny
Welcome to the forums. As well as the support and information you receive from the other users you may find it helpful to read the BCC booklet ‘Fertility issues and breast cancer’ It discusses how treatment may affect your fertility and ways of trying to preserve it as well as pregnancy after a diagnosis of breast cancer. If you would like a copy or to read this on line just follow the link:-
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/BCC28_fertility_issues_09_web_pdf.pdf
I hope you find this helpful.
Kind regards
Sam (BCC Facilitator)
Thanks Em, it really does help having people to talk to. Ill let you know how i get on x Vicki
Hi
just got back from the hospital after seing my oncologist, the good news is he is happy for me to have ivf before my chemo and my chemo will start in january, the not so good news is the tumor was tripple negative so will have to have TAC chemo and hope this thing never ever comes back. Just digesting all the information i have been given and taking it all in.
X Vicki