@A MyBCTeam Member: go easy on yourself, lovely one - I have no doubt you're an incredible mama, but you need to take care of YOU in order to take care of them. If you have to take your pills at different times, get one of those AM/PM pill holders to separate them out. Then put a reminder on your phone and set it to go off each day at the time you need to take the pill. Breathe and be kind to yourself - you are doing amazing whether youre feeling that way right now or not. Hugs 💕

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A MyBCTea...

My oncologist recommended Revaree Suppositories. They don't have any hormones & easy to use. These Suppositories are great for treating dryness & healing internal tissue. Best of luck to you!

My breast cancer was fueled by my female hormones. I also had a long history of fibroids, lots of constant abdominal pain. I decided to have a total hysterectomy and bilateral ovaries removal. My gynecologist felt this was needed because breast cancer was fueled by female hormones. Our ovaries also produce estrogen.

Throughout my research its important to follow an alkaline diet. In our society, lives being fast paced, fast food, etc. all turns the cellular environment of our body to acidic environment. Its this environment that cancer cell thrive. If you eat alkaline diet it will bring your body to natural alkaline state which will kill cancer cells.

This is what I follow and I'm 9 years cancer free.

I consulted two oncologists for my treatment plan and both cited recent studies that showed that pre-menopausal women with breast cancer who have their ovaries removed or suppressed via shots have slightly lower recurrence rates than those who don't. Ovary removal/suppression + Tamoxifen has slightly lower recurrence than Tamoxifen alone. And ovary removal/suppression + an AI has the lowest recurrence of the three treatment options. The survival improvements should be weighed against the costs of going into early menopause; namely, as Melissa mentioned, there is an impact on your bone density. There are also some cardiovascular risks. In my case, the decision was clear because I had contraindications for Tamoxifen (stroke risk), so I had to go into menopause to take an AI instead. Also, I was 49 so I was pretty near natural menopause anyway. Whether it's worth it for you to shut down/remove your ovaries depends on your particular trade-off in terms of the recurrence risk for your particular cancer, how young you are now, etc. Definitely pose the question to your oncologist. I also got input from my gynecologist and endocrinologist (they specialize in bone density issues). If you do decide to get your ovaries out or shut down, one thing you can do to protect your bones is get Zometa infusions every 6 moths for 2-3 years. Zometa has also been shown to slightly reduce risk of recurrence to the bones. I started with my first infusion in September.
I'm assuming from your question that you are pre-menopausal, but if you are post-menopausal, then my understanding is that removing your ovaries doesn't provide any additional survival benefit in terms of the breast cancer. It does, however, reduce your risk of ovarian cancer, so women with BRCA or other genetic risk get their ovaries out for that reason.
For vaginal moisturizing, I use Replens (the paraben free version) every three days. My gyn also recommended coconut oil.

I had my ovaries removed at 46. The hormones were feeding my cancer and after taking them out I was in stable condition for two years and for a stage 4 breast cancer person that's great! Unfortunately in 2020 a tumor showed up on my Thorax. I had radiation this September and I'm on Ibrance with Letrozole. In February 2021 I will have a Petscan and if it shows no improvement I'll go on Flaslodex injections with the Ibrance and take out the Letrozole which I've been on for 5 years. When you have your ovaries removed the chances of improving your chances of survival are higher.
In terms of losing bone density, take a calcium pill every day and I also have xgeva shots every 3 months to strengthen my bones.
If your Oncologist recommends having your ovaries removed I would do so.
Take care.