Possible fertility hope for breast cancer patients





Young women diagnosed with breast cancer face issues with fertility


I have mentioned that chemotherapy for my breast cancer took pushed me into early menopause; effectively ending my fertility. It happens to a lot of younger women with breast cancer. That's an awful choice to be faced with; chemotherapy to save your own life, or treatment without it to preserve your fertility.

I'll be honest, after I ended my chemo and had my mastectomy, I read the final pathology report about my breast tissue. When I read that there was no evidence of cancer in my breast tissue... I wept. My oncologist and my oncology surgeon were extremely happy with the results. According to them, the chemotherapy worked. It shrunk my tumors effectively. Because my cancer was aggressive, advanced and moving into my lymphatic system, I had chemotherapy before I had my mastectomy. And I was given very strong dosages of the chemotherapy mixture. The reasoning was that I was young and strong enough to handle it and they wanted to do everything they could to keep the cancer from metastasizing to my bones. The pathology report that no cancerous tumors were found thrilled my medical team. It made me weep.

I was still struggling with accepting that I had breast cancer and that losing my breast, risking my fertility was really necessary. I understood what I had been told, but I still struggled with accepting it. I wondered for months whether or not surgery alone could have been sufficient. I'll never know. I no longer wonder. But now, thanks to very hopeful evidence from a clinical trial, young women diagnosed with breast cancer may be able to preserve their fertility with the addition of a new drug to the chemo cocktail.

Adding goserelin changes everything it seems; in a good way



Goserelin added to chemotherapy medication had great results of not pushing the patients into early menopause. The drug also extended survival rates after the end of treatment. The study seems to have been narrowly applied to women with a specific type of breast cancer, but even in that case... this is good news.

The numbers of young women being diagnosed with breast cancer are increasing around the world. Being able to retain fertility is a huge blessing. I hope and pray that more women will be eligible to add this drug to their treatment plan.

Keep in mind, just like snowflakes and fingerprints... each breast cancer patient is unique and what is best for her medical plan is determined by a complex set of factors. Please don't take this advice as medical advice. I'm only offering information and news on worthy topics. Don't be afraid to let your medical team know that you are concerned about your fertility and that you want to know ALL of your options when it comes to treating your breast cancer.

You have to be a strong advocate for yourself. 

See: Drug May Help Some With Breast Cancer Stay Fertile


That's all for now, 
Nic


Disclaimer:  I am not a medical professional nor an oncology expert. Each cancer patient's diagnosis and subsequent medical plan will be unique to their medical history and situation. Please seek advice from your medical team for issues concerning your particular situation. 



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