HRT withdrawal after DCIS diagnosis

If like me you are ER+PR+ and you have the hormone receptor positive cancer, then it's likely that your doctors will say stop it ALL being both patches/gel (eg Sandrena) and intravaginal (eg Ovestin). My oncologists and GPs agree that patches/gel are too risky as increases circulating levels of estrogen. However on topical estrogen, doctors can disagree sometimes depending on which doc you talk to you might get an ok. My 1st oncologist didn't want me to use it so I changed oncologists! In interim my GP and Menopause specialist have agreed the RACGP data says you can take it - just best to monitor estrogen levels regularly. I had god awful vulval itching (one of the 4 symptoms I was managing with HRT) and it was really bad through chemo and continues to be an issue so I am using Ovestin & accepting the risk while being tested 6 monthly to check my circulating estrogen levels remain low. If you need to take hormone/endocrine therapy many of the side effects HRT resolved can come back (but don't always for all), so although through BC treatment the joint pain, hot flushes & low/variable mood was gone for me even off patches, now I'm taking Letrozole for next 5yrs, all are back in varying, different degrees now and likely for as long as I remain on it (so basically I'm in round 2 of peri just starting more symptoms in a quicker timeline). Hope this helps :)