31yrs old should I refuse tamoxifen?

Hi! I have recently had a lumpectomy to remove a 1cm invasive carcinoma in my right breast. I am nearly finished my 19 sessions of radiotherapy. The next treatment is tamoxifen for 5 years. I am resisting taking it as I want to have children in the next few years and am worried about its effects on my fertility. Has anyone else refused tamoxifen and how did you support yourself in your decision? Thank you x

  • Hello AoifeC and a warm welcome to Cancer Chat! 

    First of all well done for finishing your 19 radiotherapy sessions. I can understand why you would hesitate taking Tamoxifen at such a young age especially as you are planning to have children in the future. I think it is important to try and weigh the pros and cons and perhaps to talk to your specialist or medical team about this important decision. They will be best placed to tell you whether taking Tamoxifen has any impact on fertility (or not) and what happens too if you get pregnant, whether you can temporarily stop the treatment. So before you come to a decision on this, try and talk to an expert who is very knowledgeable about Tamoxifen and ask them all these important questions.

    I hope that you will also hear from the experience of other ladies of childbearing age who have found themselves in a similar situation and faced the same difficult decision. Don't hesitate too to give our cancer nurses a call on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. 

    I hope that you find the perfect solution and manage to get expert advice on this.

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

     

  • I took it for a couple of years aged 48-49 stopped cos I had to pay for it and didn't like side effects. Maybe I should have taken it longer as 19 years later I have 3 suspicious hard lumps in the breast I had a segmental mastectomy in cos of breast cancer and dcis. I also had atypical hyperplasia which I didn't understand but means your breast cells start dividing and looking a bit odd so raising your risk of them going more odd i.e. cancerous....

    There may be other drugs that do the same thing as tamoxifen that might suit you better. I never investigated this myself as I was keen to get away from doctors, nurses, volunteers in flower shops, bad Halal food, surgical stockings, and curtains round my bed. I now have PTSD as you can imagine but unfortunately I have an appointment on Friday 13 and I hate anyone in a white coat - nothing personal but it would be nice if they treated you as an equal.

     

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