I am 45 and am recovering from a full hysterectomy.I will probably have to be on some kind of hormones.?

I have never been pregnant and I lost my 35 year old sister to breast cancer in '05. She couldn't get pregnant, went to infertility clinic and was pumped full of hormones. The only thing she gave birth to was cancer and died.
How likely am I, now, to also get cancer? I am scared to death. Anyone in similar circumstances?
Terri

You sound like you have been thru a lot. This is the questions you should ask you gynecologist. Sometimes they do a hysterectomy and leave either 1 or both of your ovaries to help you with hormones.
Dont be afraid, be educated. Find out what you still have left in your body and then find out what the statistics are on hormone therapy from your gynecologist and if they cant answer your questions, get a 2nd opinion. Heck get a 2nd opinion anyway.

I recently had a hyterectomy. I hope your feeling much better.
Don't push yourself just get lots of rest.
Cancer is such an awful thing, I'm sorry about your sister.
I think you should sit down with your doctor and discuss your
concerns. Have some tests done to put your mind at ease.
Again I am very sorry about your sister.

I'm very sorry about your sister.

When was she first diagnosed with breast cancer? It's very possible she became infertile due to the cancer spreading. It is unlikely that the hormones caused her to get cancer.

You should talk to your doctor about your chances of having cancer. You have a family history of it, and just because of that you are at risk to develop it.

Don't take them

I was about your age when I had a full hysterectomy. My doctor said he would put me on premarin in the recovery room since I would immediately go into menopause and would have hot flashes that quickly (nothing about might have them). Premarin gave me headaches so I stopped taking it about two months after my surgery and had no noticeable night sweats or hot flashes. That was 6 years ago.

Each person deals with menopause differently and if you are concerned about risk of cancer or other breast disease as recent studies have shown premarin to be a possible cause of, don't do HRT.

Cancer runs in my family and I had breast cancer 4 years ago. In hindsight I am glad I stopped the hormone therapy when I did.

There are some very serious pros and cons to hormone replacement therapy. It isn't as simple as, how likely is cancer. This is something you ought to research thoroughly and discuss thorougly with your doctor. It's controversial, though a very large study a few years ago led to much less enthusiasm for hormone replacement therapy, and to serious concerns about it. Hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of some cancers and reduce the risk of others, as well as affecting your cardiovascular health. Your choice may have a lot to do with your own personal medical history and concerns.