Breast & Ovary complaints

[netkiwimoongladewave]

Do you have any of the BC genes? Or is this ‘chance’ ? It does make a difference

Spoiler: Questions about breast cancer risk that some people may want to skip

I'm not a doctor or a scientist.

I've heard / read over the years that the BC gene mutations are the most recognisable cause, but family history is a big risk factor because there are other mutations that aren't necessarily recognisable / common that can cause it. My understanding is that a family history (of 2 or more) is basically equivalent to having one of the mutations, but it sounds like my understanding might be oversimplified if there is a difference.

Can you elaborate on the difference? Should someone a family history be more / less concerned than if they have one of the widely recognised gene mutations? And if they have one of the recognised mutations and a family history, does that further increase risk (does the risk compound)?

 

[Diet Cake]

I'm hoping this is the right place since this is an issue tied to my ovaries. Not sure how many of you in here deal with hormonal acne, but if anyone has, what do you recommend? PCOS sufferer + I've tried everything under the sun (except for accutane but I have an appointment soon for that.) Antibacterial soaps, proactive, averr, froya, clay masks, sulfur masks, anti-milk/sugar/etc diets, sunscreen, cold creams, vitamin c, washing more, washing less, silk pillow cases, antifungals, witch hazel, everything. It always flares up bad when I get my period and it's making me apocalyptic. I'm one step away from just saying fuck it and doing liquid nitrogen with laser treatments.
please advise

For me, spironolactone has solved my hormonal acne issues.
I don't think I have PCOS but I've suffered from hormonal acne since forever. For-ever. And it was so stubborn, nothing seemed to be working and I tried all the acids, prescription topicals, meticulous hygiene.
I had even been on Accutane TWICE and my skin was clear! Until I got off it and the acne returned.
Spironolactone doses start fairly low and I had to go up 3x before it started working. But it's cheap and easy to get a script, at least in the US.

Thread tax: I have only one set of ovary + tube because of a dermoid and I was so disappointed to learn that the remaining ovary just picks up the slack instead of me getting 50% off menstrual cycles. And I'm never having kids so the poor gal is working double overtime with no breaks until she keels over.

 

[Palmfish]

For me, spironolactone has solved my hormonal acne issues.

the issue for me is i've been on spiro since i've been a young teenager and while it's certainly helped (took scar-incuding cystic acne into milder but still painful occasionally-cystic acne,) it has not cured me. right now i've just been doing spiro + birth control, and washing down with various antibacterials and cleansers and it's been keeping things mild.
i've made an appointment down in august to talk about accutane and possibly get my dosage upped as much as i can have it go. either way, it's good to hear from someone with prior experience in these things!

my only issue is my family is very reluctant to allow me to actually get accutane (some senator's daughter killed herself or something while taking it so now they're worried that it'll be like, psychosis-inducing suicide pills???) but tbh its not like they can do anything once i have the prescription with me. the only thing i am worried about with accutane is horror stories of girls not wearing enough sunscreen and getting horrible bleeding lizard-dry skin, heugh.

 

[Otterly]

Spoiler: Questions about breast cancer risk that some people may want to skip

I'm not a doctor or a scientist.

I've heard / read over the years that the BC gene mutations are the most recognisable cause, but family history is a big risk factor because there are other mutations that aren't necessarily recognisable / common that can cause it. My understanding is that a family history (of 2 or more) is basically equivalent to having one of the mutations, but it sounds like my understanding might be oversimplified if there is a difference.

Can you elaborate on the difference? Should someone a family history be more / less concerned than if they have one of the widely recognised gene mutations? And if they have one of the recognised mutations and a family history, does that further increase risk (does the risk compound)?

This is a very hard question to answer because there are a lot of variables.
The BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations are highly associated with a strong lifetime risk of breast, ovarian and melanoma type cancers.
But, there are multiple other genes that (and when I say genes that I mean various mutations in those genes, we all have the genes) can increase risk of cancer generally and of breast cancers. Mutations in genes like P53 or PREN (general tumour suppressors) are associated with generally increased risk of most tumours and also with bc. Lifetime risk is generally cited but remember the biggest risk factor for all general cancers is age and we all die of something.
You can also have a mother and sister etc die of bc simply by pure chance, and families share environments, so cases like severely polluted water for example in places like flint can be a cause too.
Having a first degree relative basically increases your risk 2-3 fold, but doesn’t mean you will get bc nor does it shed light on why.
A double mastectomy is a major operation that will cause major pain and lifelong issues. So is a hysterectomy. Removal of ovaries will put a woman into instant menopause and that’s associated with big increased dementia and cardiovascular risks (more women die of that than cancer.) hormone blocking drugs also have major side effects.
So… Such operations you need to do only if you’re aware and you’ve had really good counselling to understand why, what your personal risk level is, what the risks are of doing it and not and what you personally are comfy with.
If this is something that’s causing significant worry, and I do absolutely get that is a real and very valid worry, then see someone who can point you towards genetic testing and counselling, and advise you on more frequent and earlier start screening. All cancers are more treatable the earlier you find them. Do not ever allow yourself to be pushed I to such a big decision own way or the other

 

[Diet Cake]

the issue for me is i've been on spiro since i've been a young teenager and while it's certainly helped (took scar-incuding cystic acne into milder but still painful occasionally-cystic acne,) it has not cured me. right now i've just been doing spiro + birth control, and washing down with various antibacterials and cleansers and it's been keeping things mild.
i've made an appointment down in august to talk about accutane and possibly get my dosage upped as much as i can have it go. either way, it's good to hear from someone with prior experience in these things!

my only issue is my family is very reluctant to allow me to actually get accutane (some senator's daughter killed herself or something while taking it so now they're worried that it'll be like, psychosis-inducing suicide pills???) but tbh its not like they can do anything once i have the prescription with me. the only thing i am worried about with accutane is horror stories of girls not wearing enough sunscreen and getting horrible bleeding lizard-dry skin, heugh.

Aw man, sorry that spiro doesn't work for you as well. I think I had been on it before when I was younger at like 50mg and it did nothing, it wasn't until I tried again after all that Accutane and started going up to 150mg that my skin started responding.

Accutane does have depression as a known side effect that doesn't always resolve after you stop taking it, so the risk is real. It also dries you out everywhere. Every mucus membrane. Your eyes. Even the synovial fluid between your joints is reduced so you can get joint pain or swollen joints. Be sure when you're on it to take the pills with lots of fat so it's fully absorbed and you reduce the likelihood of relapse. Good luck

 

[Froggy Fresh Sextape]

My sister just informed me that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s the same age my mother was when she passed from bc, and 6 years older than me. I am seriously considering getting a preventative mastectomy because I don’t want to deal with it. I know that doesn’t eliminate risk entirely but it would decrease it significantly. I guess I will probably post in here with updates because I don’t really want to share it with people I know irl right now.

If you're in the US there's a federal law that requires most insurers to cover reconstruction, and the cosmetic results are very good these days. This is a pretty tough decision though.

You might want to check out FORCE

 

[Just A Rat]

So… Such operations you need to do only if you’re aware and you’ve had really good counselling to understand why, what your personal risk level is, what the risks are of doing it and not and what you personally are comfy with.
If this is something that’s causing significant worry, and I do absolutely get that is a real and very valid worry, then see someone who can point you towards genetic testing and counselling, and advise you on more frequent and earlier start screening. All cancers are more treatable the earlier you find them. Do not ever allow yourself to be pushed I to such a big decision own way or the other

Professional input, genetic testing and counselling will be the first steps for sure. I have very cystic breasts already, so I get checked with mammograms and ultrasound regularly because I am unable to really know when a lump is different from the usual ones. (That’s pretty stressful as it is, more so now that the family history has more bc cases.) I am in my early 50s so should be on course for menopause anyway, but don’t really know because I started taking Slinda continuously a few years ago because I was fed up with still having regular brutally painful periods at 48. Definitely long overdue for a skin check too, so I will get right on that. Really appreciate your input Otterly, thanks.

ETA: I am in Australia, Froggy. Probably would not bother with reconstruction anyway to be honest, having boobs doesn’t mean much to me these days.

 

[suspended animation]

right now i've just been doing spiro + birth control

Spironolactone didn't alleviate any of my PMOS symptoms either. The only medication that helped was Metformin; if you have insulin resistance, definitely look into getting on some medication for it. If you can't get any prescriptions from your doctor for whatever reason, look into over the counter Inositol.

The most effective treatment for PMOS is a low carb diet. Not full keto, because that's really stressful on the body, but low carbs and low processed and whole foods overall. That ultimately alleviated my symptoms the most.

 

[Stan]

Oh that really sucks, i am sorry. How are you doing? Is someone with you to take care of you? Miscarriage is hard on body and soul, even if it’s early it’s still a big hit.

I read today that the risk of suicide in perimenopause is 7-fold increased. Ageing is crap. Hormones are crap. Everything is crap.

Okay, I guess. I suspected it wasn't going right from pretty early on. Did not feel sick enough, pregnant enough; kept throwing faint positives on the home tests way past the time you'd expect them to be really unambigously positive.

It's been a couple months now and I'm trying to goose myself back into trying again, it's stressful and you're constantly wondering and testing and shit.

It's just sad that it was the second one in a row; I've had one fine pregnancy 2022-23 and then two that didn't work out. I suppose I'm lucky at least to have the one healthy child I do.

Yeah aging sucks and it scares me.

 

[PetiteFeet]

I am tired of trying to love my breasts. I don't wanna go the opposite direction and get them lopped off, but I have been cursed with some very unfortunate breasts that were ugly even before I gained weight.
Sometimes I wish I was an itty bitty tiddy, petite body having-woman. Alas.

 

[Chromeo]

I ovulated for the first time in a million years recently and it made me suicidally lonely. Now it's like, I'm STILL not actually bleeding but every so often my uterus reminds me it exists and makes my hips/ovary area ache. I just want to be squeezed with a rolling pin or something, this sucks. If my body's not gonna function, could it at least be consistent about it??

 

[corvuscorax]

I am tired of trying to love my breasts. I don't wanna go the opposite direction and get them lopped off, but I have been cursed with some very unfortunate breasts that were ugly even before I gained weight.
Sometimes I wish I was an itty bitty tiddy, petite body having-woman. Alas.

I was always super envious of big breasted women when I was younger because men didn't STFU about big tits. I've come to greatly appreciate being part of the itty bitty titty committee as I've gotten older. Problem is I have no ass
I'm only petite because I can't eat or drink more than 1.5 cups of anything in one sitting without being sick. I also have broad shoulders that were clearly meant for a larger cup size that never manifested, so my tits just look weird on my body. Flat assed, weird tiddy to chest ratio having twig that I am. Somehow I manage to tolerate it. Probably the lack of mirrors in my house lmfao.
I won't try to tell you to just "love your body" because everyone fucking says that, easier said than done. What I will say, is your beautiful to me regardless

 

[Just A Rat]

My sister had her lumpectomy last week and it went well - clean margins and no lymph node involvement, so that’s good news. Apparently it was a completely different type of cancer from what my mother had, so possibly more of a coincidence than a hereditary thing. I have a referral to the breast clinic where they will presumably do a bunch of tests including genetic ones so I can find out if I have any concerns in that regard, and I am doing blood tests to find out where I am menopause wise, because I have been on a progesterone pill continuously for a few years which has been fantastic for me, but can apparently increase the risk of breast cancer so if it’s no longer needed for period symptom control I guess it’s better for me to cease that. It’s a bit of a scary thought though because the wellbeing it brought was amazing.

 

[Fish and Chips]

i've made an appointment down in august to talk about accutane and possibly get my dosage upped as much as i can have it go. either way, it's good to hear from someone with prior experience in these things!

Accutane does have depression as a known side effect that doesn't always resolve after you stop taking it, so the risk is real. It also dries you out everywhere. Every mucus membrane. Your eyes. Even the synovial fluid between your joints is reduced so you can get joint pain or swollen joints. Be sure when you're on it to take the pills with lots of fat so it's fully absorbed and you reduce the likelihood of relapse. Good luck

@Palmfish I've had hormonal acne since I was a teenager, which turned into cystic acne at university. Like you, I tried eeeeeeverything. The only thing that ever helped was Accutane. I did 3 courses over the span of 10 years, and I had flawless skin for a few months, but it always came back once I stopped treatments. Luckily, it did address the cysts.

I got on Spiro 2 years ago, but my doctor started me off at 25 mg and would only approve going up to 50 mg, which did nothing. I have since visited with an NP who specializes in women's health. She diagnosed me with PCOS, and immediately increased my dose to 100 mg. My skin isn't perfect, but it's much better than it used to be.

Like @Diet Cake said, Accutane does dry you out everywhere. Over 20 years later and I still have a dry nose and very high cholesterol (another side effect). I didn't have any additional depression, and my outlook improved as my skin cleared up.

What I have learned over the past year:

• One of my triggers was Vitamin B / Biotin. I used to take it every day, and noticed an improvement when I stopped.
• Chemical peels help, and I do them at-home regularly.
• I mega dose on Vitamin A (which is a budget Accutane).

Please don't be afraid of Accutane. It was a miracle drug for me (while it lasted) and I wish I had started it sooner when I was younger. You could also consider a regular course, and then microdosing going forward, if your doctor agrees.

 

[Carnavoyeur]

Chemical peels help, and I do them at-home regularly.

Products/tips? I've been wanting to start doing chemical peels but I'm apprehensive about going somewhere to get them done and spending money on something I could potentially do at home.

 

[Fish and Chips]

Products/tips? I've been wanting to start doing chemical peels but I'm apprehensive about going somewhere to get them done and spending money on something I could potentially do at home.

I am not a doctor dermatologist (just someone who likes to experiment and try new things)

If you've never done a peel before, it's best to start gentle and slow

Start out with the Dr. Denis Gross Peeling pads (get a sample kit with the normal and extra strength, and see which you prefer. Don't bother with the gentle strength). I've also used overnight resurfacing lactic acid creams from Sunday Riley and Bioessance, and liked them both (probably prefer the Bioessance a bit more but they're pretty comparable). I also recently picked up the Caudalie instant foaming cleanser and the micro peeling radiance foam, and like them both very much.

If you want something a bit stronger, try The Ordinary's glycolic acid toner, and stronger still is their 30% AHA 30% + BHA 2% peel. Start slow, and don't feel you need to leave it on for the max time required.

None of these are comparable to what you could get from a derm or aesthetician. I've had The Perfect Derma Peel 3 times and you need about a week of downtime / working from home to recover. The last time I got one, I think I got slight chemical burns (which luckily went away). You look like you have the worst sunburn for about a week (red, tight, skin peeling off in sheets), but your face is glowing and blemish-free for a month after. I'll likely continue to get them once or twice a year, but in cooler months, when the UV rays aren't as strong.

If you're going to start with peels, wear sunscreen (my holy grail is Anthelios from La Roche Posay - no white cast, not sticky, and completely invisible). Protect your skin at all costs.

 

[Premium Gonzo]

Had to get my bloods done recently, basically my bodies fucked and i need to clean up my act but it's not irreversible (been working at it for awhile this just sorta pushed me harder to get healthy). But my thyroids been under active for ages so i need to up my dosage of thyroxine significantly.

Weird thing is subconsciously i knew it was playing up, first thing to go was my memory and speech.

I start forgetting random words that you'd use everyday, like i wanted my other half to grab a pot off the stove yesterday. I was staring at it, i was pointing at it and the word pot would not come to my mind, it took me 20 minutes to think of the word pot. It drives me crazy, because usually i can be articulate, and then people will be talking to me and i just sorta forget to respond... Getting my bloods back and seeing that made a lot of sense.