More and more women are becoming paranoid about taking tamoxifen. This drug is taken by women who have completed their breast cancer treatment to lower the risk that the cancer will return.

Because one of the reported side effects of taking tamoxifen is an increased risk of developing uterine cancer, many women feel they are doomed. But in reality the risk of developing uterine cancer is very, very low. Those at greatest risk are women who took estrogen replacement therapy.

Some doctors opt to monitor women for this unusual complication by doing an annual transvaginal ultrasound. This involves inserting a "wand" - sorry, ladies, there's no magic in it - in the vaginal canal and visualizing the uterus and ovaries. The procedure measures thickening of the uterine wall, known as the endometrium, as a marker of possible changes.

If the uterine wall is thicker than it should be, or the patient reports vaginal bleeding or spotting after she's had no menstrual periods for some time, then an endometrial biopsy is done. An endometrial biopsy can identify the presence of atypical cells even before uterine cancer has a chance to become established.

If you have a family history of uterine cancer, your doctor may opt to monitor you by transvaginal ultrasound each year anyway, but this is unrelated to taking tamoxifen.

By the way, tamoxifen does not cause ovarian cancer or cervical cancer. This is another myth that's floating out there that needs to be set straight.