Hey, i was diagnosed with Er+, Pr+, HR- BC 3 days after turning 30 when my daughter was just 10 months. I have completed chemo and rads and 3 months in on Tamoxifen and am already wanting to give my daughter a sibling.
Very much want to try for another after 3-4 years of the Tax but worried if its possible having a strongly oestrogeon positive type. Wondered if anyone with a strong er+ has successfully carried or been told that they can??
Thanks
J
Hi J
I am kind of in the same boat as you, but a little further down the line. I was diagnosed March 2009, age 30 with a 19 month old, hormone positve rating 6/8 for both oestrogen/ progesterone. Had chemo, masectomy and still on tamoxifen. My little girl is now nearly 5 years old. In the beginning I was so greatful to be alive and alive to see the little girl I have got that I accepted that I would not have anymore children. I did nothing to protect my ovaries through chemo, but 10 month after chemo my periods returned, I then went on Zoladex for 1.5 years, came off that and remained post menopausal for another year, during which time I sort of accepted that this is how I would remain and therefore could not have anymore children. The a year after and this February my periods came back. They are not regular and I’m not even sure if I am ovulating but the return of them has re-opened my want for another baby. I don’t know quite what to do. I was convinced that the pregnancy caused my breast cancer in the first place as the surgeon said the lumps had been there a minimum of a year and max of 2 years and my daughter was 19 months! In same ways my view of a few years ago still stands and I do feel greatful to be here and healthy and I worry that another pregnancy might trigger secondaries, but another part of me reads the research which says that it is OK for women to have children after BC, and I feel maybe I’m denying myself of something that I always wanted and if I do live to 80 years old I may regret. I’m feel very hormonal again and very confused, but like you J I would like some opinions, views and advice from other ladies who have experience of this, eg how long did the professionals recommend you wait etc.
Boo
x
You sound exactly the same as me!
At least we know we are not alone 
I didn’t have any children when I was diagnosed at 30 (8 years ago now) and after lots of soul searching (and heartbreak) we decided that the risk of the cancer coming back (I was oestrogen receptive too) was too much (and my consultant agreed). We couldn’t bear the thought of life without children so we adopted - and have two beautiful children!
Not being able to have children was by far one of the hardest parts - for me - of having breast cancer. I now also know that just because you already have a child doesn’t mean you can’t feel the pain of wanting another.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do
x
I didn’t have any children when I was diagnosed at 30 (8 years ago now) and after lots of soul searching (and heartbreak) we decided that the risk of the cancer coming back (I was oestrogen receptive too) was too much (and my consultant agreed). We couldn’t bear the thought of life without children so we adopted - and have two beautiful children!
Not being able to have children was by far one of the hardest parts - for me - of having breast cancer. I now also know that just because you already have a child doesn’t mean you can’t feel the pain of wanting another.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do
x
Sorry - posted twice!
Hi J
I am in a similar position, I was diagnosed in December 2009 while I was pregnant (but overdue), my son was induced and born the next day and I went through a mastectomy, chemo, radio and herceptin with a newborn. I will have been on Tamoxifen for 2 years next month which I have been told by my Dr is the minimum length of time and I could possibly come off it if I wanted to try and have another baby - I had periods throughout my treatment.
My husband and I have thought long and hard about this and like SuzySu we have decided not to try for another baby. I was diagnosed whilst pregnant and I just don’t think I can risk it happening again.
I do go through phases of wanting another baby and I do worry about him being an only child but I know in my heart it’s the right decision for us.
Good luck with whatever you decide. xx
What is SO difficult about this disease is the uncertainty around everything and the different information everyone seems to be given! I’ve seen 2 fertility experts in London who specialise in young women with cancer and they both said studies and research has shown that pregnancy after treatment doesn’t affect your long term prognosis and as women whose bodies are now clear of cancer will be fine - and those who still have dormant cells that have sneaked away somewhere will unfortunately have a bad prognosis regardless of whether they become pregnant or not.
I’ve only been on Tamoxifen for 7 months and will be on it for at least 2 years (my oncologist, and 2 second opinions on Harley Street have all told me the same info that the first 2 years provide the most benefit - exponentially beneficial - but I will probably end up completing the course) but have another appointment with one of the doctors this summer to see if there is any indication of whether I have retained my fertility and will be quizzing them again then!! It’s such a hard decision - of course I would hate to bring a child into the world only not to be around to bring him/her up - but on the other hand the MAJORITY of us should be cured - and I would hate to get to 90 having lived a life singed with sadness and regretting not having children.
I went to a wedding a couple of weekends ago and met a beautiful girl - and not sure how we got onto the subject, but it transpired that she had breast cancer 7 years ago at the age of 26. She now has 2 stunning children.
PS - If anyone wants details of the specialist I am seeing in London - PM me. She led the seminar of fertility at the BCC Younger Women’s Forum last year and I got my doctor to refer me to her!!
Are there any women who have had a baby after taking tamoxifen? Are the consultants recommending you have a full scan just to check there are not any secondaries. I have to say my brain tells me this would make a lot of sense and be the right thing to do but if this is what they are recommending I’m not sure I could go ahead with it as if the results clear then great I get the chance to try and have another baby but if not then I find out I have incurable cancer and that is something I just cannot face.
I must get a copy of this report and read it, will google it now!
Boo
x
Hello ladies, I am reading these comments with the same question going through my mind, fortunately we have frozen embryos waiting for us which we managed to do before chemo started only because we was two wks away from havinf IVF when I was diagnosed so was already in the system. My oncologist has told me he recommends i take tamoxifen for the full 5 years as 11 of my 18 lymph nodes were affected and i had two large tumours oestrogen positive. Now we are considering looking into surrogacy so that i dont have to risk a pregnancy but it feels ike one fight after another. I just dont know what to do or think and have no idea when would be best to start looking into such a thing. Although the tumours have been removed and so has all the lymph nodes i feel like i have a time bomb inside me and that my dreams will never become reality i,e a family or even just one baby of our own. I feel for you all and wish i had the answers myself. Sandytoes…did you have to pay to see the specialists and did you find it worthwhile, did you get the answers you neded from it? lots of love x
Hi Everyone
Have posted a link below which may be helpful - from page 5 onwards I think from memory:-
rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/GTG12PregBreastCancer.pdf
Love xxx
Hi ladies I was diagnosed with BC at age 39 er positive and pr positive. I took tamoxifen for four years and than had a successful pregnancy, I even breast fed on the remaining breast. I did have a reccurence after 18 years, and I have had a mastectomy butplease go to cancer research site there is no evidence that a further pregnancy encourages the cancer to return. It was once thought that this was the case but not anymore, ring them and I am sure they will give you latest updates love suzan
Hope you dont mind me asking but the reacurrances, were they another primary case or secondiaries??
Thanks
hi in the same breast local reccurence which can happen anyway. I had two different cancers in my breast and they did say that it was unstable. I have a strapping 6 feet 6inches young nearly 18 year old xx
Posted on behalf of new user Hannah - Jo, Facilitator
Hi, I hope my story may help. When I was diagnosed in 2007, I spent many hours, weeks and months, in fact years searching for good news stories about people having babies after breast cancer and at last I have one of my own. I was diagnosed in 2007, aged 30, with a grade 3 HER2 tumour, which was strongly ER+ and PR+. We were already blessed with a 15 month old boy and were trying for another baby. I was absolutely devastated by the diagnosis. I struggled to accept the possibility that we might not be able to have more children and struggled to cope as everyone around me seemed to be having more babies. After 6 rounds of FEC 100 – T chemo, radiotherapy, Herceptin and 2 ½ years of Zoladex I came to the end of my treatment and waited to see whether my periods would return. 4 months later, and after some brilliant sessions of acupuncture, they returned on my birthday – I could not have asked for a better present! I went on to find out I was pregnant the following month. It seemed like a dream come true. Unfortunately the pregnancy didn’t work out and I found I had miscarried at 11 weeks. Six months later I found I was pregnant again but again miscarried, this time at 13 weeks. Things felt pretty bleak but my oncologist didn’t think the miscarriages had anything to do with the cancer treatment and he and my obs and gynae consultant were both supportive of us trying again. At the end of May this year, 5 years after my initial diagnosis with breast cancer, I finally gave birth to a wonderful, perfect baby girl. We could not be more delighted or thrilled and feel absolutely blessed to have her here at last. I hope this story may give hope to anyone out there who, like me, is desperate to have children after breast cancer. I couldn’t pretend it’s been easy but I am so glad we stuck it out. Obviously I don’t know what difference either of the following made but I can certainly recommend acupuncture as a way of regulating hormones after cancer treatment and I am very grateful to my oncologist for recommending that I went on Zoladex, as he believed there was anecdotal evidence that it may help to preserve fertility during chemo. For me, the wish to have children was so strong that if we had ultimately not been able to have more children naturally, I would have been more than happy to have looked at egg donation or adoption. We were just lucky that we didn’t need to go down those routes. Being diagnosed with cancer was completely devastating but at last I feel I have some closure and am back to having the family I always hoped and dreamed of. I wish anyone else in a similar situation all the very best.
Hannah,
so nice to hear such a lovely story. Thank you for sharing.
Rae
x