Hormones

  I bet only the women open this post. Sorry guys. I wish I could run for the hills as well when I hear this word, but I can’t. 

 After radiation was complete, and I recovered one month, it was time to make the decision on my ongoing oral hormone suppression for the next 10 years. My choices were:

Option 1: Tamoxifen for 2-3 years then an aromatase inhibitor 7-8 years

Option 2: Aromatase inhibitor for 10 years

Option 3: Luperon shots weekly to suppress ovarian function with an aromatase inhibitor for 10 years

 

 Labs to assess my ovarian function were important for this decision, as one must be identified as pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal, or post-menopausal - here’s some info from google AI:

 Ovarian function labs measure levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol to assess ovarian reserve and reproductive health:

• FSH
• A hormone produced by the pituitary gland that helps mature follicles in the ovaries
• High levels indicate post-menopausal state
• LH
• A hormone produced by the pituitary gland that causes the mature follicle to rupture and release an egg during ovulation.
• High levels indicate a post-menopausal state
• Estradiol
• A form of estrogen that is measured in picograms per milliliter (pg/ml).
• The lower the level, the less estrogen one is producing, can indicate post-menopausal state

 Without losing even more people to this very sensitive subject, due to my age and considering the chemotherapy I am on is still suppressing my hormone levels, we're assuming I'm in peri-menopause so I opted for option 1 which puts me on tamoxifen for 2-3 years. The benefit rather than going straight to aromatase inhibitors, simply put, is that tamoxifen has less chance of osteoporosis or cardiac issues than aromatase inhibitors, so we'll keep my bones and heart as healthy for as long as I can. I'm learning that every system pays the price when it comes to cancer treatment!