Coming off tamoxifen early to have a baby
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Thank you! 9 embryos made it to the freezing stage so we are pretty pleased about that.
My wife walked at the Race For The Cure event on Sunday and did great.
Now to the next step: Port on Wednesday and Chemo on Friday. We're looking forward to beating this and thawing out one of those suckers.
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For those who got pregnant (or tried to) after tamoxifen, how long did you wait after stopping Tam to start trying?
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Hi All!
Southern, that wig looks awesome!
I have also had a lot of bad dreams lately. My dreams seem to be the negative to my positive. My darkest fears come to life. My wife has been exceeding all expectations so far, but I think my subconscious is screwing with me.
We are doing well this weekend. Wife is feeling good. The Ducks beat the Huskies, the 49ers and Timbers won. If I only had my Dodgers. Tho, my wife isn't exactly torn up that baseball is over in this house.
She has decided to join this thread as well. ( El_Tigre.) She spends most of her time with her blog. HERE is the story that was in the local paper last weekend.
Hope you all are doing well/better.
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quick update on what's happening here.
Trial is going slow, still no periods yet so I was referred to the local women's hospital fertility clinic who said due to my history they want to put us in the IVF program which was great news except my husband lost his job 8 weeks ago and 2 weeks ago got a preliminary diagnosis of colon cancer. So we're waiting for those results.
In the meantime we've started doing all the tests the IVF people wanted us to and I got my blood results today. My AMH is 0.4 which is a really low ovarian reserve. My white cells and nuetraphils still haven't recovered from chemo (2 1/2 years ago!) and both are quite low. I an antigen negative (?) which they said will be dealt with if I ever get pregnant.
So right it feels like obstacle after obstacle and I'm just about ready to give up.
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Hi all of you amazing ladies
I just wanted to check in and say hi to you all, I don't often visit this thread these days as life has become a little busy. Having started this thread so many years ago, it is both wonderful and sad that it is still going. For those of you who are trying to conceive and worrying about what the right thing is to do, go with your heart and what is best for you and your family. My son is just over three and alternately a joy and a right royal pain in the backside. When I think back to all the conflicting information I had to process in coming to the decision to try for a child, it scares me how close I came to not trying for a child. If I'd listened to one doctor, rather than another. If I'd listened to one friend not another. If I'd thought of the odds in a different way. None of us know what is around the corner, all I know is that, taking what I saw as a huge risk was so worth it.
Cuculi - I'm sorry to hear you news, sending you a huge virtual hug. I hope your treatment goes well. Helpful advice from your oncologist, but perhaps not always the easiest to follow. In a similar situation I was advised to life to the full. Sound advice, not great timing...
Young with bc - I stopped for 3 months before trying to conceive, first round of IVF I had a cyst that stopped it mid cycle. I felt that I should have waited for my natural cycle to come back before starting.
Kirboxx - I'm so sorry you are facing such huge difficulties. Don't give up. My AMH was so low that it was off the scale. I have a three year old now, conceived through IVF. Even with low AMH results it is possible to have a child.
Love and hugs to you all
Lisa aka bearcat x
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Hi girls, I am finally trying for the first time... will keep you posted and hopefully will have a success story to share eventually
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For those who successfully got pregnant after coming off tamoxifen, can you share how long it took you? I'm nervous about being off my tamoxifen for so long, but also prepared that it might take awhile. If anyone can share, please do!
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I did IVF after surgery and had two embryos frozen. I'm currently undergoing chemotherapy and will have radiotherapy in March. I have no children but my oncologist has advised me to wait atleast 2 years before having a baby. I'm going to be prescribed tamoxifen for the next 5 or 10 years, but it's always a worry coming off it. I'd be interested to hear other people's experiences esp for ER/PR positive.
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I stopped tamox in December 2014 after being on it for 1.5 years. Got pregnant in August 2015. My periods never stopped on tamox and I am over 40. Little boy due May 5th!
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Just checking in after a while away from the thread. I have posted a few times over the years.
I came off tamoxifen after 2 years, waited 2 months before trying to conceive and did so on the 5th cycle. natural conception.
I had my beautiful baby boy in September. 8lb 6oz. 4 months on I am still breastfeeding from one side. couldn't imagine life without him.
I have an MRI coming up next month. first scan in 18 months because of the pregnancy. A little nervous but optimistic.
Good luck to everyone still making the decision, those trying to conceive and those who are expecting their own little bundle0 -
Thanks for sharing your success stories ladies! For anyone who reads this who stopped tamoxifen, what were your periods like after? My periods were pretty non-existent on T, and I've had a few fairly normal ones since stopping. Now on my fourth one and it's very heavy with more pain than usual. Did this happen to anyone else?
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Marlene18, how are you and the littile one doing? Hope all is going well..few more months to go
Take care
Abby20
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Hi Abby20, thanks for asking! Pregnancy is proceeding nice and miserably. I'm at 25 weeks, just around the time I started chemo when I was pregnant with my daughter. It's made me a little sad for what she had to endure before she was even born but also grateful that all my complaints this time are just pregnancy and not cancer-related! Any luck in your efforts TTC?
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Dear Lisa, dear all,
I joined yesterday the forum, because I am facing the decision of trying to get pregnant or not, as I had breast cancer. I REALLY need help, because my husband and I don't know what we should do. On one hand my oncologist says I must have hormone therapy for at least (and in the best scenario) 2 years and my gynecologist just told me last week that he thinks I am prepared and we can try our first round of IFV in 2 months... I am 38 1/2 and we have no children. I ended my chemo on sept. 17th and the radiotherapy on dec. 4th/2015. I haven't started the hormone therapy yet.
I see that some of you tried to get pregnant and have now wonderful babies... Here in Ecuador I haven't found any cases like mine, so I don't know if trying to get pregnant is the right decision or not. Will I get the cancer back? And most important, will the baby have health issues? I know you can't tell me what's going to happen, but if any of you has more or less the same characteristics as me and had a baby, can you please tell me a little more about your story? I also know that in the end the final decision and responsibility is mine, but I will feel so great to know that I am not alone.
Thank you very much and my best wishes to all of you,
DOLO
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hi Dolo,
Sorry you had to join us here. I don't your diagnosis details in terms of stages. But I personally listen to my oncologist rather than gyno. Did you do any egg retrieval before you started chemo?
It is a rather difficult decision. The child would not have any more increased risk than any other IVF born child. Did you do any genetic testing?
Hope you and your husband come to a decision that you both are comfortable with.
Good luck.
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Hi Dolo
I'm very sorry you are in this position. It is a very lonely place to be, but you are not alone. I was also 38 when I finished my treatment. I was advised to wait a year before trying IVF to give my body a chance to recover. I think this was wise advice, not just to allow physical recovery, but to mentally be in a position to try and have a child after going through the experience of breast cancer. Like you, I was worried about the cancer coming back and about the health of any child and what impact getting ill again might have on any child that I did have. It was such a difficult decision to make as there was no information really around. In the end I took tamoxifen for a year and a half then took a break to try for a baby. My plan was, if I had enough embryos to freeze from the IVF, that I would freeze them and use them after I had completed 5 years on tamoxifen when I was 43. I didn't have many eggs, so that wasn't an option. I tried 3 rounds of IVF and conceived on the third one, going back on the tamoxifen a year and a half later after my son was born. My little boy is now three and a half and is perfect.
In the end, it comes down to what is important to you and what your oncologist advises. Could you perhaps have a round of IVF now, freeze the embryos and then go on the tamoxifen for 2 years? Whether this is a good idea will depend on how hormone sensitive your cancer was. Mine was classed as weakly hormone sensitive. If you did this, your eggs will be younger when you do try for a baby in a few years time but you still get to follow your oncologists advice.
I asked my oncologist about the risks of having IVF or having a baby naturally after cancer. He showed me several Scandinavian research studies that showed there was no increased risk of cancer recurrence in women having IVF or having a child after breast cancer.
I hope this helps. I wish you all the very best with your decision. Send you lots of hugs from England
Lisa x
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girls!! Good to hear from all of you. Welcome new girls. I'm still trying to get pregnant. I've been of tamoxifen for 10 months and my periods are super regular they could be renamed old faithful. 28 days apart, ovulation Every 14th day of cycle and completely normal levels. After all my body has been through that should make me ecstatic. But alas...no baby yet. Starting to get down and lose hope. My fertility Dr says everything looks good. How long is this going to take. I really need some positive vibes. I only have 5 more months of trying before my husband deploys (marine). Help!.
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Hi tata... I don't have any wisdom to offer, just to say that I'm going through it with you and totally related to how you're feeling! I'm still at the beginning of TTC but feel anxious that something might be wrong, or that it could take a very long time. It's hard not knowing. My doctor did say after 6 months of trying that I should see a fertility dr. So maybe if you're getting to that point, you want to look into some options that could help things along? It's a hard decision of course. Keep us posted!
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hi tata,
Have you tried relaxing about ttc-ing and having fun with hubby? Also, you can try a round of IUI and have hubby check the swimmers. Have you checked your hormone levels (thyroid function)? I know when we were trying to conceive I was so anxious all the time about the timing of baby dance and then one month I said "F*** it" and I got pregnant. I know it's a cliche but try to relax.
Keeping my fingers crossed and sending you all super positive and baby dust vibes!!!!
Hugs,
Lolis
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- it's good to hear back so quick. I've had amh checked. 3.7 which is really good. My estrogen and fsh are also both normal. I think part of me is really scared that chemo ruined everything. Even tho my levels check out. I'm going to ask about thyroid tomorrow! It's hard to not stress when you go off tamoxifen. I feel like a clock is ticking before I need to go back on it and another to get pregnant before my husband deploys. Every time I've gotten my period for the last 10 months I just want to cry. Most girls going through this just have fertility issues. We all have fertility issues and a history of breast cancer so it's like double the stress. Lol but dang it I'm going to try and relax this month! Any other success stories or tips will help.
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I know trying to relax is easier said than done!!! How are you tracking ovulation? Are you using the strips of temp tracking? It sucks that this has to be difficult. Keep practicing!!!
Hope someone with successful stories chimes in.
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Dear Lolis and Lisa,
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer me. Knowing that I am not alone and reading words from women that have been through what I am going through now is really comforting.
I hope my husband and I are able make the right decision. We need to think a lot and of course listen to what my doctor has to say. He has the idea that we can take the risk, as there is no evidence that I will get cancer back if I get pregnant. My concern is that I only was able to get 2 embryos freezed and I have just one shot. If it doesn't work, I must wait until my body starts producing eggs again and I don't know how long will that take. It is just overwhelming and the "not knowing" part is really stressfull. Anyway, I know I have to stay strong and things will be fine.
Thank you very much again and I hope you are doing well and enjoying every day ;-)
Warm regards,
Dolo
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Hi Tata,
Not my personal experience for getting pregnant, but know people that tried with yoga to relax and it really helped. Maybe you can try it?
I am a catholic, so I will pray for you getting pregnant soon and that everything goes well. Be positive, it will happen for you I am sure.
Best of luck and send you all my positive energy!
Dolo
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Hey tatasister,
I was able to get pregnant in the 7th month after going off tamox and I was 41. I was getting anxious with it taking that long but then we went on vacation in the summer so who knows if that made the difference. I know what you mean about feeling like you're working with a deadline though, I worried about being off tamox and about my age. My baby boy is due in May though now and so far so good!
Hang in there and try to relax... (I know, as if!)
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I stopped in March 15, but was also on zoladex. I got my first period in June then July and then I fell pregnant. I miscarried in September at 6 weeks, had a chemical (very early miscarriage) in December then found out in January that I am pregnant again. This one has stuck and I'm now ten weeks, exciting!
I'm 37 now and have so many good things to say about acupuncture getting my body ready to carry, it's amazing
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Has anyone else's oncologist suggested a precautionary CT scan before pregnancy?? I stopped tamoxifen in Nov 15 to try and conceive. After waiting three months for the drug to clear out of my system, I'm now (almost!) on my second month trying. However, when I saw my oncologist last week, he suggested a precautionary CT scan to check my chest and abdomen, since my BC was highly estrogen and progesterone positive (and in fact showed up originally when I was pregnant with my first child). He wants to check that I'm clear before the hormones start flooding my body. I wish he had told me this earlier, as I'm due to ovulate in about a week and I don't want to miss a month of ttc. As everyone else has said, I really do feel like I'm in a rush to get pregnant as each month off tamoxifen increases my anxiety and stress. Part of me thinks I should go ahead and get the CT scan right away and skip a month TTC, and the other part of me says to get it after this cycle, if I don't get pregnant. But now I'm worried if I DO get pregnant this month, I wouldn't have had the CT scan he recommended. I just can't stand the thought of wasting a month of TTC. I have given myself a timeline of when I need to conceive before I give up and go back on tamoxifen and each month really counts. I'M A MESS!!!!
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Hi Ladies!! Anyone know when its safe to start ttc after a chest and abdomen CT scan? I stopped tamoxifen four months ago and had just started trying when my onc suggested I get a CT scan to check that "there is nothing there" since once I get pregnant I will be filled with hormones and he won't be able to monitor me. I had the CT scan yesterday and am set to ovulate in the next 5 days or so. Anyone know if this cycle is safe or if I should wait? I'm not sure if the radiation can affect an unfertilized egg, but they sure were serious about making sure I wasn't pregnant before doing the scan. I can't find any information about this online so was hoping if anyone else had this experience they would have some knowledge to share! Thanks!! And baby dust to all those who are currently TTC!!
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hi Fightfortwo,
I don't think I have heard anything about the effects of CT on unfertilized eggs. I would think that the amount of radiation and effects of the dye (if you had a dye contrast CT) would wash off your body in the next 24hours. I was never told about anything like that when I was ttc-ing. I think they want to make sure you weren't pregnant as radiation does have an impact on the baby.
Hope you baby dancing goes well and looking forward to hear the good news in a few weeks!!!
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Thanks, Lolis! I'm still waiting for my scan results, which is creating the kind of anxiety I haven't felt since the active treatment days. Still haven't ovulated though, so if I get the all clear soon, I still have a chance for this month. Thanks for the reassurance -- hoping to post some good news here soon!!
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) pregnancy stories so it could help the women make a right decision.