[rachelhmmd]

Because both my mother AND my father had breast cancer, I took tamoxifen prophylactically for five years. I tolerated it well; perhaps the only side effect was a lighter menstrual period (who's complaining!). But, the year after I finished my course, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Some of my docs called me a "tamoxifen failure," but my ever sunnysided oncologist said that perhaps I would have gotten it sooner, that it would have been more advanced, etc. I'm still glad I did it, because if I hadn't, and I developed cancer, I'd be kicking myself.