Estrogen replacement

Hi. A few weeks ago I wrote about a 20cm pelvic mass and CA125 over 4000. To update my info, I had surgery on 6/20. The mass was actually 22cm, and I had to have a vertical incision. The gyn/onc told me that the mass was benign but they did find some cancer in the right ovary that appeared to be early stage. Today, I had the staples removed and some good news. The tumor was a borderline tumor, and no other cancer found. I won't need chemo either. I am very happy with this news as its the best outcome i could want. My question now involves estrogen therapy. My doctor prescribed it for me, but I'm reading conflicting reports about the safety of taking it over the long term and the risk of breast cancer. I'm only 36, so would be taking it at least 10 years. Does anyone have any info on the benefits and risks of taking estrogen?

[SimplyStar]

look into the bio identicals  they are safer than HRT   more ladies will be along to tell you what they did   my daughter did not take any  toughed it out    but she was peri menopause at 49  glad you had good news

[Mary 53]

Take a look at my (**Long**) response on the thread posted on June 27th "Surgical Menopause and what to expect."

I put together some info on the bioidentical hormones and named some resources for anyone interested in this...

Best of luck to you.

Mary

[freshair]

Thank God you got it out before you had IIIC as most of us with ovarian cancer were diagnosed with. Also it was a good thing that it was big so your symptoms came on sooner. Some of us with IIIc had smaller tumors.

I advise against all HRT drugs when you have cancer. Yours is borderline but still you have a small risk of recurring in the future.

I am not against bio hormones but am when you have cancer.

[scoutshadow]

I personally think that you will find a HRT regimen to suit you regardless of whether you have cancer or not.  Your cancer was staged at 1A, like mine.  It was caught early, within the capsule and confined to one ovary.  You must capitalise on this.  There are many different kinds of HRT out there.  If you put in the search engine Surmeno blogs then you will get a lot of info though is doesn't really cover bioidenticals.  Mary 53 is the bio identical advocate and you can tell from reading what she has to say, that a lot of research has gone into it.  She is also an advocate of adhesions therapy i.e. pelvic ball rolling and has managed by using this technique to avoid adhesions. (Well done Mary).

There is something out there for everyone.  Best of luck to you.

[nyc lady]

I have to agree with Helen.....if you have had any type of Ovarian Cancer I would stay away from hormones, bioidentical or not.  There have been instances where HRT has feed cysts, masses, tumors whatever you want to call them.  I was dx'd with stage 1A and was on HRT for a very short period of time and I developed a cyst of what is believed to be ovarian nature....which could have been brought on by the HRT - I have no ovaries, it would have come from a remnant or maybe a cyst particle that was left behind.  There has also been some new studies showing that borderline being LMP with recurrences at the 7 to 10 year point.

Please discusss this in depth with  your doctor.  There are women that are younger then  you that have gone thru surgical menopause without anything.  I suggest calicum for your bones and if the flashes get bad, try vitamin E.  

FYI - I have also been advised to stay away from over the counter HRT as they contain soy and black cohash which is found to mimic estrogen.

While bio-identical might be the rage, when you have cancer, HRT is something that I feel carries a lot of risk, whether it be bio-identical, or natural..really think it thru.

[fvny98]

Thank you ladies for responding to my post. You have given me a lot of food for thought, and I see that I need to talk with my doctor more. I may need to rethink taking these estrogen pills, because the last thing i want is a recurrence. Thanks again!

[Mary 53]

Hi, good to hear from you again. I just wanted to add (to the confusion!) that I posted to PJ565 when she started another thread, "To Mary 53" and it is currently on Page 1 as I write this. Just wanted to make sure you saw that to add to your information.

As you research this, you will only have more questions, but maybe more options and your understanding of the whole hormonal issue will be great. Many  studies suggest that bioidentical Progesterone offers a protection against problems with estrogen..has to do with the cell receptors.....and if you don't have ovaries you are making little to nothing as far as Progesterone goes (there is one gland that makes the hormone, but it is miniscule. My husband makes more progesterone than I do, given that I don't have ovaries. So, men have some of the so called "Female" hormones, too... but are affected by them, obviously, in different ways. Oh, and I was just reading yesterday how fiber in the diet helps balance hormones by carrying away excess estrogen. Our bodies make estrogen even after menopause..as a by product from the fat in our body, so you want to learn all you can about this whole thing. Daunting task, but interesting and helpful!

SInce I cannot write a "book" on this forum, I have to end it here...just be sure to study up so you are aware of what this is all about...why there is controversy, and what you can do whether you take hormones or not.

Wishing you well,

Mary