Femara & why did I get a period?

jamjar62

Hello....6.5 years post diagnosis. Did 4 rounds of AC then 4 of Taxotere followed by radiation. Five years of Tamoxifen. Bloodwork showed I was postmenopausal. Started Femara about 4 months ago. Then about 10 days ago, breasts got tender and then yesterday....BAM! A full-blown-haven't-had-one-in-6-years period!

Has anyone heard of this or experienced this? I have contacted my onc but haven't heard back yet. I get my script from a mail delivery service so of course I couldn't get hold of a pharmacist over the weekend.

I'm freaked out and wondering what, if any, damage I might have done to myself taking the Femara since it appears I'm not menopausal!

Thanks in advance!

Karen

Alexis F

Karen, you did the best
Karen, you did the best thing by calling your doctor. I don't have any personal experience with what you are taking, so, I can't help you there. I hope your doctor calls you soon. Let us know.

I have read that tamoxifen can cause problems, but, it seems you have been done with that for awhile. I am leaning towards not taking it because of the se's.

Good luck!

dmc_emmy

Karen-hope you hear soon
You did the right thing in calling your dr. That is a new one for me, but I suppose anything is possible. Keep us posted on your dr's response.
dmc

cats_toy

Hi Karen
Sorry, I do not take the drugs you mentioned, but man oh man what a bummer! Probably no damage done, but why is a big question. Let us know when you find out.
=^..^=

Kylez

cats_toy said:

Hi Karen
Sorry, I do not take the drugs you mentioned, but man oh man what a bummer! Probably no damage done, but why is a big question. Let us know when you find out.
=^..^=

Yes, call your doctor. I
Yes, call your doctor. I didn't take those drugs either. And, that would be awful

Kristin N

Kylez said:

Yes, call your doctor. I
Yes, call your doctor. I didn't take those drugs either. And, that would be awful

Karen, call your doctor. I
Karen, call your doctor. I think there are several on here that have taken those drugs, so, I am sure they will post for you too. Let us know what you find out!

jamjar62

femara & period
Talked to my onc nurse yesterday. I think she misunderstood and thought I was hemorhagging
(?sp) or something. Asked me how many pads I was going through in a hour! Doh! Assured me that this was not an effect of the Femara...which I never thought it was!

Anyway, she told me to have a pelvic ultrasound and some bloodwork and then see my gyn. I know she is looking for a thickening of the uterine lining which is a side effect of Tamoxifen and also a sign of uterine cancer.

I don't think it's that at all. I am not BLEEDING....I am having a period. I know the difference after 30 years of periods, thank you!

I think I was not menopausal. Maybe lab results misinterpreted or not accurate, I don't know. My dilemna now will be whether to become menopausal either surgically or chemically so I can continue to take the Femara.

Thanks for your feedback. I'll let you know what the gyn says next week.

Blessings!

Karen

fauxma

jamjar62 said:

femara & period
Talked to my onc nurse yesterday. I think she misunderstood and thought I was hemorhagging
(?sp) or something. Asked me how many pads I was going through in a hour! Doh! Assured me that this was not an effect of the Femara...which I never thought it was!

Anyway, she told me to have a pelvic ultrasound and some bloodwork and then see my gyn. I know she is looking for a thickening of the uterine lining which is a side effect of Tamoxifen and also a sign of uterine cancer.

I don't think it's that at all. I am not BLEEDING....I am having a period. I know the difference after 30 years of periods, thank you!

I think I was not menopausal. Maybe lab results misinterpreted or not accurate, I don't know. My dilemna now will be whether to become menopausal either surgically or chemically so I can continue to take the Femara.

Thanks for your feedback. I'll let you know what the gyn says next week.

Blessings!

Karen

Karen,
Although I have never
Karen,
Although I have never been on Femara I am going to share my story. I was 52 and still having periods. They seemed very regular and very normal. I had no signs of menopause, no hot flashes, no night sweats, no mood changes, nada, zip, zero. I asked my doctor if this was unusual and she said a little. She did a blood draw to test FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which would tell us where I was, pre or post. The test came back post. Before I could make another appt. we changes health providers so I didn't think about it. After several months we changed back. In the meantime, still having "regular periods" with only one exception of a heavy bleed with clots. I thought, well this must be the beginning of menopause. I made an appointment with my doctor and asked her about being in menopause. She looked at my medical history and said, "You are post menopausal". I responded with a doesn't that mean no periods etc. She said yes and I told her that I was still having periods. She said they were not periods and we scheduled a D&C. She said it could be lots of things, fibroids, cysts, thickening and yes, cancer. Well, it was cancer. She said it was unusual for the bleeding to mimic a period but it obviously could. It was Stage 2B, grade 3. I had a total hysterectomy and pelvic radiation (internal and external). It's been 9 1/2 years and no recurrence. I did have a bladder cancer 2 years later, a skin cancer 3 years later and now breast cancer but I have survived them all.
So please don't assume this is just a period. Especially if you have been had tests that showed you are post menopausal. They always ask if there is heavy bleeding, clots, hemorraging etc. But it can just be bleeding. Again, it can have many causes but the point is that there is a cause. Glad you are having ultrasound, blood work and visit to your gyn. But as with the breast cancer, be aggressive. Ultrasound and some of the other tests don't find the cancer. D&C is probably one of the most effective ways to find uterine cancer. Glad my doctor went right to that and didn't do a bunch of other time consuming tests. And if they were wrong and you aren't menopausal, then that would be good news. Like you said, you will have to then decide chemical or surgical induction of menopause.
I hope for the very best outcome for this but I wanted you to hear my experience.
Stef

jamjar62

going with my gut feelings
Of course I am doing all that my onc recommended but my gut feeling is that this is a period. Had breast tenderness about a week before and a few other "symptoms" of a period.

Also, about a month ago, my husband said "You're hair looks like it's getting thicker" which I had thought myself but put it down to wishful thinking. My hair never came back as thick as it was before chemo. Now I'm wondering if maybe it is getting thicker due to the hormones I thought were gone.

Either way, I will persue an answer and deal with it!

Karen

jamjar62

Can't we just call it even?
Saw my gyn after lab work and pelvic ultrasound. Lab work shows I am definitely menopausal. Ultrasound showed normal ovaries, 4mm thick uterine lining (5 and below normal) and a few uterine cysts that appear to be normal.

Gyn wants me to have a hysteroscope to check out uterus to see why, when everything appears to be normal, I had a period. So that's what I will do.

Thanks for your support and kind words.

Karen