I am 39 with TN dx 2years ago… but now I am wondering if my 16year old daughter can go on the pill.
hi, just wondering about a reply… It sounds like you are worried about the pill and perhaps a raised chance of breast cancer? I would suggest you discuss this with your gp. There are different types of pill, and there may well be one suitable, without additional risk. Is there a history in your family? You write that you are TN, so your cancer is not oestrogen related. This may impact the choice of pill? Sorry, I have not got an answer, just questions.
Anyone else care to comment… Bump
christine
Hi there
Also wondering what your particular concern is with your daughter going on the pill?
Your cancer was not oestrogen receptive so from the viewpoint of you having had cancer there doesn’t seem to be any particular cause for concern there.
Statistically, going on the pill for a period of years does slightly increase the risk of breast cancer but, like all things, this has to be weighed up with other things ie. contraception, or reducing heavy/painful/frequent periods which can be terribly debilitating and really reduce quality of life. I’ve also read that going on the pill slightly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer so its swings and roundabouts.
Probably in terms of reducing risk of breast cancer it is more important that your daughter aims to have a healthy lifestyle such as keeping to a healthy weight, taking regular exercise and not drinking too much alcohol or smoking.
I agree that having a chat with the GP might be the best way forward. Elinda xx
Charlotte, if you are worrying about your daughter having a raised risk of cancer because of your diagnosis, then the most useful piece of info you could get would be whether you are BRCA or not. Being TN and under 50 (at time of TN diagnosis) you should be able to get a genetic test to find out for sure. The NHS is doing these now almost everywhere in England. It is not up to your GP or Onc; they have to refer you and the genetics team decide who to test.
If you are concerned about hormones - I think this it is difficult as TN is not hormone fed, but the problem with TN is that no-one know what does feed it. I have been advised to avoid drugs/creams etc with hormones in, despite being TN, “just in case”. But then, I actually have cancer. If your daughter does not have BRCA then you can probably relax a bit. Not all GPs are very well educated about younger women’s breast cancer risk. If yours is, then go for it. In your position, I think I would ring the BCC helpline, as the nurses are very good at looking up the latest research and guidelines. Send them an email first so they can “swot up” on the topic.
As others have suggested, your daughter would be better off aiming for a healthy wieght and lifestyle than worrying too much about cancer. If you are not BRCA then she will probably never have to face the things you have had to. Make sure she knows how to self examine and encourage her to enjoy life, not to worry about cancer.
I hope you are able to make a decision that you are happy with, Cress, xxx