Coming off tamoxifen early to have a baby
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Wow Arale good luck and keep us posted!!
i've just popped on for a quick catch up of all the posts after not checking in for a while. good to see that even though most of us are still playing the waiting game we r all still in good health!
Cuculi, u remind me a lot of me in my first few months of diagnosis. everything is still so raw, hard to process and there are a million questions u want answered. i know of ppl who dont want to know all the details of their prognosis, statistics, etc, but for me knowledge was power. i had my list of questions for all my specialists, googled, emailed nurses online, whatever i could to get the info i needed. eventually things will start to settle down and u will b able to process them. i cant say this whole ordeal gets easy, but i think u just learn how to cope with it.
Rutts, you said u are coming off tamoxifen in march. how long will u have been on it for by then?
and im also now wondering about pregnancy and lymphedema. i had 3 nodes removed but my surgeons suspect some mild lymphodema near my reconstructed breast. it doesnt bother me at all, but i do worry that it will get worse, particularly if it was to spread down my arm!! any knowledge on this would be great!
good luck to all those still trying to conceive. i'm still not up to that yet. 10 months til i get to start my tamoxifen break, then wait til its cleared out of my system (but who's counting)?
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good to hear from you Angelbaby. I also did tons of research after my diganosis. I want to know everything I can; makes me feel more at ease. Still working on making a baby. No meds this month because of a large cyst on my ovary. We tried the old fashioned way this month. Could work; stranger things have happened.
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(((((Cyberhugs))))) to all of you wonderful women !
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Hi all
Arale that's fab news ill be looking forward to hearing more from you
Angelbaby I will be 2 years on tamoxifen in January. My onc has suggested 2 - 2.5 years on it. I've decided march as that's when I'm due to see my onc. Then I've been told ill have to wait 2 months before we start to 'try' to get pregnant. I'm counting down the months.
I too only had 1 node removed and would love to hear any info people have on that subject?!?
Slg76 really hoping you'll get the news you want0 -
Hey all,
I know it's been a while. Still playing the waiting game. Completed 3 rounds of CLomid with no luck so just started round 4 and then it's on to IVF. Had hoped it wouldn't come to that but that's life. The success rates are 3 times better with IVF so feeling very positive about it especially seeing as all tests and indications show no reason whatsoever as to why i'm not pregnant thus far.....i'll be 39 in a month so age is the only factor to the delay as far as I can see although AMH is good. tried naturally for 8 months and CLomid for 3.
Cuculi - you pose a very interesting point about natural alternatives to Tamoxifen. I was on it for 4 years and although I didn't mind the side effects (except the weight gain!!) I am not keen on going back on it. My doc wants me back on it after a baby until menopause and then onto some severe hormone thingys....I stopped listening after he said it would be hell....and I was thinking what is the point in my life being hell??? So i'm really going to challenge him on the whole thing when the time comes. Best of luck with you decision. It is a difficult journey but you will come out the other side stronger.
Velo - that's great that you can do the egg removal while on Tamox and have the AMH done as well. My AMH result was good so it gave me that extra boost to keep going. But even if it's not you hear of so many wonderful success stories.
Soccergirl - I could not agree with you more. I think if we can live and eat healthy and exercise well that has to be better than any pills right?
Arale - dying to hear more news!!!! Did you do another test???????????
Angelbaby & Rutts - not long to go before you guys start trying!! Fingers crossed for you both.
Sig76 - fingers crossed for you as always xx
Talk soon ladies - looking forward to hearing some news!!!
Tess xxx0 -
arale...sending cautious congratulations. Can't wait to hear the doctor result.
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Hi ladies,
I have some good news to share, I'm 5 weeks pregnant!! It's such early days that I don't want to get too excited just yet!
I came off tamoxifen at the end of January after being on it for 3 years & started TTC in April. Last week, when expecting my period, I was so fatigued I could barely keep my eyes open & had one sore boobie! Did a pregnancy test & it was positive! Repeated it a few days later & it's strongly positive within 10 seconds!
I know it's such early days but its a lovely feeling that this body of mine can support life after cancer etc. I've never been pregnant before (just turned 33, in fact think I may have conceived on my birthday!!). Fingers crossed all will go well!
Arale, cautious congrats to you too!! Dying to hear your news!
Lots of love & positive vibes everyone, Xx0 -
oh my god congrats Treadsoftly!!!! So happy for you!! Gives us all hope for the future. You must be SOOOOO excited!!! xx
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Treadsoftly...congratulations!!!! So happy for you. Good inspiration for all of us. Hoping you have an easy, healthy pregnancy. Please let us know how you are doing.
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Hello everyone,
So lovely to hear all your news and huge congrats to TreadSoftly - so exciting! Only the other day I was telling someone aout how impressed I am with this message board. The tone is so positive and supportive - so thank you to everyone who shares on this site.
I don't know how helpful it is, but I saw people worrying about lymphodema. I'm not aware of any connection between pregnancy and lymphedema, but I guess it's yet another question for the experts! I just wanted to say that I was really scared about the possibility of getting lymphedema but, having developed it, it's not that bad. I know it's different for everyone and mine is mild but it doesn't really stop me doing anything. In fact I just went trekking in the mountains recently and my arm was the best it's ever been! So I know it's easy to say, but don't let it niggle at you - the thought of these things can sometimes be worse than the reality and, as all of you well know, it's all a matter of perspective.
As for the whole tricksy tamoxifen issue - my consultant advises me to stay on it for 5 years before trying to conceive and my oncologist says 18 months. At the moment I'm trying to hold out for another year which will make it three years, but time is ticking and I want babies! ;-)
Regarding the issue of pregnancy triggering recurrence as raised by gildedcage - having talked at length with my oncologist he says there is no such link: in fact retrospective studies actally show an improved survival rate among women who get pregnant after bc. He says they don't necessarily know why - it could be something physical, but it could also have something to do with the nature of women who try to conceive after bc. We become a self-selecting group who may do well for other reasons. Either way, it sounds good to me!
Good luck to everyone x
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Wow treadsoftly that is amazing news. I will also be 33 when I come off tamoxifen and ttc. I'm really pleased for you and really hope you keep us updated with how you get on. Fantastic news
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Congratulations Treadsoftly!! So happy for you! I´m also five weeks pregnant! I did an ultrasound and we saw something really small. Doctor wants me to do another ultrasound at the end of this week just to check that everything goes ok. Fingers crossed!
xx
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Arale - BIG congratulations to you!!!! Lots of good news coming in these days on here - super stories with super endings.....hope this keeps up ladies
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Arale-Congratulations to you!!! So happy for you!!!
I wasn't going to say anything quite so soon but the coincidnce of all this is too crazy. I am also pregnant! I am four and a half weeks. HOORAY!
We did three rounds of oral fertility meds with no luck. This month I was supposed to do injectables and I even have $800 worth of shots sitting in my refrigerator. At the beginning of this cycle I was told I had a huge cyst on one of my ovaries. The cysts are normal and almost always resolve on thier own but I couldn't do any hormone treatment this month. The doctor told me to go home and call her at the beginning of my next cycle. Well, I'm no quitter so we just tried on our own for the heck of it. I can't believe it worked!! All kinds of things came together to make this happen, most importantly my body deciding to ovulate and my husband having a timely break in his travel schedule
I've done two beta HCGs so far and they looked good. I do one more beta on Monday. The following week will be week six so we can do a scan. We are waiting to tell family and friends until we see a heartbeat, mostly because we have a 3 year old and don't want to disappoint her should something go wrong. I'm feeling great and am so happy but also nervous to make sure that the baby is ok. There's no reason it shouldn't be fine but it feels like more is at stake given how much time/effort/money we put into getting me pregnant.
How exciting that at least THREE of us are going to be pregnant at the same time! I love it!!
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Congrats Arale & Sig76!
I'm just delighted for you both!
All fine with me, v slight nausea this am but that's it!
Fingers & toes crossed for our other other ladies on this board, maybe we will have a baby boom!! Xxx0 -
Congratulation to you beautiful ladies!!!!
I am 7 and half months out of Chemo, my cycle didnt come back and I had the results of my hormones yesterday (FSH and estrodial), the doc said I don't know how to interpret your results! My FSH was 87 and my estrodial is 85..any thoughts? Did anyone had such a high FSH that dropped down?0 -
Hi Abby-My cycle didn't return until 7 months after I stopped tamoxifen. The month is did return is the month I started acupuncture. You may want to think about giving that a try. I'm not sure about your hormone levels. Is it maybe worth re-running the test in case there was a lab error? What I do know if that my hormone levels were borderline menopausal and I had diminished ovarian reserve (my AMH was undetectable). But, here I am pregnant on a natural cycle. Our bodies are amazing. Are you trying to concieve?
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treadsoftly--I just re-read your earliet post and saw that you have one sore breast. Me too! My treated breast aches but the other doesn't. Same for you? I had a biopsy earlier this year in my treated breast and that is where it is worst. My onc says that there's so much scar tissue in there that anything I do to that breast now is going to hurt a lot. I hope this doesn't continue thorugh the whole pregnancy!
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I'm the opposite sig76, it's my non-treated breast that's sore & feeling full. After the radiotherapy on my treated breast, I feel very little on that side. Funny how we are all different!
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Wow all this good news that's amazing... I can't wait to start trying next year, it really can't come quick enough.
Congratulations to the 3 very lucky ladies I'm so happy for you.
I had my yearly mammogram a couple of weeks ago and got my results yesterday and happy to say it all came back clear
Just a quick question... I've been getting some aching feeling deep in my stomach (almost in my womb area) could this be a side affect from tamoxifen??? Or a sign that my periods are trying to make an appearance???0 -
A big YAY for those of you who are pregnant!!!!! That is wonderful news to hear for all of us.
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i love this board!! just checking in and love hearing all your stories or hope and success!! congrats to all the newly pregnant women on here! and to everyone who is trying or hoping to try, hang in there Soccergirl, i could not agree with you more with what you said about having your mind and body and spirit in the right place, i remember my acupuncturist told me when i first started seeing him to get pregnant he said if you really try to heal your body through diet and excerise and heal your mind from all that you have been through and allow yoursel to grieve from the whole breast cancer experience...he said you will have an aha moment and get preggo...it was truly how it happened for me i worked on me and allowed myself time to heal and when i truly felt at peace with things bam pregnant naturally with twins!
so many prayers and thoughts of hope and healing to all of you!! i remember going on these boards three years ago and could not find ANYTHING about getting pregnant after breast cancer i found no one on the boards im so happy that this board has taken off and has such support women. there is nothing worse than the worry of what else breast cancer may have taken from you and this board gives such hope and love and support! hugs and baby dust to each of you! xoxo
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Slg76 and others, how frequently you go for acupuncture ?
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Hi - a big congrats to the 3 ladies who are expecting! Sending out the best sticky vibes to all of you
Abby - I had my FSH tested a few months after my last chemo - it was 66 IU/L. I haven't had it retested, but my periods returned about 10 months after my last chemo. So I think as long as you are chemo-pausal, FSH will remain high but will drop back down lower afterwards.
I spoke to an oncologist (mine was on holiday for 2 months) re: the fertility specialists idea to do IVF while on tamoxifen. He hadn't heard of anyone doing that and so had no opinion either way - that it didn't sound like it would be terribly bad, and of course all risks to assume myself yada yada. His suggestion for minimum time on tamoxifen was 2 years and that of course 5 years is better than 2, but that its diminishing returns - the most benefits are realized in 2 years.
2 years will take me to about my 41st birthday... not sure what I'll have for eggs at that point given an already diminished reserve BEFORE chemo.
Right now I can't progress with the IVF or anything because I am waiting for my cycle, I had one period, not a second one
Of course I was hoping for a miracle (despite the fact I have an IUD to protect against a tamoxifen pregnancy) but a HPT says no. Anyone else get erratic length cycles on the tamoxifen? 0 -
First: CONGRATS to arale, treadsoftly and slg76. Hope more of us follow your steps 😊
Second, as jpmercy recently posted, I loooove these posts and love the hope and the support I feel.
Haven't posted for a while but read with so much illusion each post.
I am 36 with a 3 year old and started this "journey" on May. On chemo now, then rads and then tamoxifen...however I will evaluate its pros and cons on tamoxifen... As someone else posted, age is an important factor....tamoxifen for 5 yrs = 41 yrs old! I will not wait that much...
Regarding lymphedema, haven't had much thought about it... I had 24 nodes removed and 4 positive... So it would definetely help to hear about it... I am actually focused on PT for my arm...
Regarding acupuncture, I will definitely try! Thanks! I visit my homeopath and have to say that it has helped a lot during these months of chemo... In fact "non traditional" medicine is what really has helped me. To heal the mind is soooo true! I am working on that... I am sure that as, cannot remember whose post, said, pregnancy will come when we heal...mind and body... I am sure that the cyber vibes work! I just don't believe in coincidences anymore!!!! I am also doing yoga, chakras, and started exercising with gyrontonic.
Keep posting, keep good news coming and I will pray and meditate in my yoga sessions for all of us!!
Cyber hugs for all of you wonderful women!! No one but us understands what we are going through...0 -
Congratulations to those lovely ladies and their bumps! Wishing you the very best and so thrilled at your news.
I don't know if it helps Velo, but I've been on Tamoxifen for two years and my periods are still very erratic in frequency and length. I'll have two or three in a row like a normal cycle and then nothing for a couple of months. I'm just going with the flow (so to speak) and hope they'll settle down when I decide to come off Tamoxifen. It's no wonder given the tinkering with our hormones and to be honest I'm just grateful to get them at all as at least it suggests something is working!
Rutts, I sometimes get a similar sensation - it's almost like I have a virtual period without actually having one.
Hope it all settles down for everyone! x
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rutts-my guess is that this is a sign of your body gearing up to have a period. I had PMS symptoms for a couple months beofre the month I had a period. When my periods first came back I would skip one once in a while.
My acupuncturist started me at twice a week and once she made some progress she slowed down to once a week.
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thanks for all the congratulations! I feel very at peace with being pregnant. It feels like this is what I'm supposed to do. I have my third beta HCG today and my first scan next week. Can't wait until I can tell family and friends. So glad I have you guys to share with now
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slg76: I can totally imagine the feeling about what you are supposed to be living... I am really happy for you and the other pregnancies...
Keep on these positive vibes that "travel " through cyber space!
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congrats sig76 - our newest mommy-to-be!!! we won't be long behind you!!! It's so true what you said. against all odds you are pregnant so it is a testament to what your body and all our bodies can do despite the trauma the have undergone. Despite what tests say, etc, etc. SOOO delighted for you
Keep on believing ladies - I know I will xx0
