**McIrish**

BeckyP005

Hey there.  Did you yourself have the test done for BRAC 1 gene? 

I called the mamm place and talked to a nurse seeing if I asked the RE to move my mamm up in 3 months would that be enough time from my last mamm and of course answer was a BIG FAT NO. They needed 6 months. She informed me since my mom had ovarian cancer few yrs ago and her mom had breast cancer that I should get tested. Not sure how much the blood test is.

My mom does not know I'm doing DE IVF but I'm sure she would go and get tested if I had any chance of having the gene. Do you think I can just go and get it done w/o involving her? Thanks.

BeckyP005

Damn I need to learn how to spell.... BRCA !

Mrs.McIrish

I had the test done in 2008 after learning that my mom was positive. The only place that does the gene testing is Myriad Labs in UT. The test is $3000 for the full sequence and you usually need to "qualify" to get the test covered by insurance.  For me I would not have qualified to get the test since I didn't have a huge family history of BR/OC and I did not have any cancer myself.  My mom did have ovarian cancer at age 36 so she qualified to get the test with insurance covering it in full. They do the entire gene sequence on her to see what gene is mutated.  She came back with a positive gene in a certain location. Once we had that, I then qualified to get the test but they only test for the mutated gene that she had (much cheaper to run the test for the partial versus the entire panel).  Insurance paid for my test.

It would be much easier for you to get your mom tested since she had the OC and then if she is positive, for you to get the test.  If she is negative, you would be negative (unless for some crazy reason, your dad happened to be positive).  You have 2 copies of each gene and get one gene from each parent so you have a 50% chance of being positive if one of your parents is.  I was the unlucky one. My sister was negative and happened to get the good copy of my mom's gene. I got a bad copy.  My mom got tested since she knew it would allow my sister and I to get tested easily if she was positive.

You may qualify on your own to get the full sequence but insurance may give you a very hard time if it is "just your mom and grandmother".  They will pay for the actual person with cancer though if it was early onset (ie my mom at 36.).

You don't have to mention DE to your mom. Just say that the family history comes up in your med records and someone suggested you get tested.  I knew about my BRCA gene a few years before I was TTC so you don't have to tell mom that it has anything to do with babies.

Keep me posted and feel free to ask me anything about it.

Mrs.McIrish

BeckyP005:

Damn I need to learn how to spell.... BRCA !

LOL- I've actually seen it written both ways. The Myriad website says BRAC (be ready against cancer).

BeckyP005

Thankyou!!

danieleandwayne

I don't know if this helps, but, my mom got tested so that my sister and I didn't have to-- since my mom tested negative. My mom had a type of breast CA for which she had NONE of the risk factors. I have ALL the risk factors, so it was important to me that my mom get tested. I asked her to do that for me because if she tested positive, I would pay to get tested and then get a double mastectomy rather than get cancer. That kind of distracted her from any conversation about TTC, breastfeeding, etc.

BeckyP005

Asked my mom last night and she was cool with it but her nosey friend was with her and she kept asking me why...I wanted to say none of your business! I would just feel better knowing if/when I start taking estrogen if I need to worry about anything.

Mrs.McIrish

BeckyP005:

Asked my mom last night and she was cool with it but her nosey friend was with her and she kept asking me why...I wanted to say none of your business! I would just feel better knowing if/when I start taking estrogen if I need to worry about anything.

I would just say that you need to do lots of screenings if you do in fact have the gene so you just want to know either way if you are high risk. I hope you are negative!! Being positive sucks donkeyballs. I feel like I am pressing my luck with all these treatments/IF drugs and am always scared the other shoe is going to drop.

BeckyP005

McIrish.....yes you better be careful! That makes me nervous for you!