Chemo induced menopause or not.......

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  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #22
    periods
    In 1987 when I was diagnosed (at age 33), no one checked my hormone levels but I can tell you what happened. I had 6 months of chem and 7 years of tamoxifen (I know it's 5 years today but I was a guinea pig back then). I had no periods for at least 2 years and thought yeah I'm done with that. Then they came back regularly until I was 43 when they stopped again. My younger sister was 40 when she was diagnosed and her periods stopped and never came back.
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #23
    Tamoxifen and menopause
    Just wanted to add a note to this discussion. According to breastcancer.org: "Although it causes hot flashes, tamoxifen does not make you menopausal. About 20% of women will have irregular periods on tamoxifen, but only a few stop their cycles entirely. Tamoxifen will not cause early menopause unless you're already on the brink. After you stop taking tamoxifen, your body usually goes back to where it was before. Tamoxifen does not stop ovulation — it actually increases ovulation. This is probably true even at the low daily doses that you take for breast cancer treatment. At higher doses, tamoxifen is in fact used as a fertility treatment."

    I went into chemo-induced menopause and have not had a period since January 2009. My doctors are all confident that my cycle will return. My onc. says that it takes about a year and she expects me to start menstrating in December or January again. I don't know...

    Mimi
  • pitt
    pitt Member Posts: 387
    #24
    mimivac said:

    Tamoxifen and menopause
    Just wanted to add a note to this discussion. According to breastcancer.org: "Although it causes hot flashes, tamoxifen does not make you menopausal. About 20% of women will have irregular periods on tamoxifen, but only a few stop their cycles entirely. Tamoxifen will not cause early menopause unless you're already on the brink. After you stop taking tamoxifen, your body usually goes back to where it was before. Tamoxifen does not stop ovulation — it actually increases ovulation. This is probably true even at the low daily doses that you take for breast cancer treatment. At higher doses, tamoxifen is in fact used as a fertility treatment."

    I went into chemo-induced menopause and have not had a period since January 2009. My doctors are all confident that my cycle will return. My onc. says that it takes about a year and she expects me to start menstrating in December or January again. I don't know...

    Mimi

    Mimi - after Tamoxifen
    Mimi, does your doctor plan to put you into menopause after your tamoxifen treatment? Mine does so I was just wondering. After tamoxifen (5 years) then we are going to shut down my ovaries to put me into menopause so that I can do 5 years of an aromatase inhibitor. I'm just curious if you will continue on something after tamoxifen. Pitt PS I'm 38 so they want to go ahead and induce early menopause to continue treating me for longer-term success rates...
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #25
    pitt said:

    Mimi - after Tamoxifen
    Mimi, does your doctor plan to put you into menopause after your tamoxifen treatment? Mine does so I was just wondering. After tamoxifen (5 years) then we are going to shut down my ovaries to put me into menopause so that I can do 5 years of an aromatase inhibitor. I'm just curious if you will continue on something after tamoxifen. Pitt PS I'm 38 so they want to go ahead and induce early menopause to continue treating me for longer-term success rates...

    Hi Pitt,
    I think you have a good plan. Tamoxifen, then induced menopause and an aromatase inhibitor is standard of care these days, I think. I am not on any hormonals since I am triple negative. I would love the extra protection, though...

    Mimi
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #26
    mimivac said:

    Tamoxifen and menopause
    Just wanted to add a note to this discussion. According to breastcancer.org: "Although it causes hot flashes, tamoxifen does not make you menopausal. About 20% of women will have irregular periods on tamoxifen, but only a few stop their cycles entirely. Tamoxifen will not cause early menopause unless you're already on the brink. After you stop taking tamoxifen, your body usually goes back to where it was before. Tamoxifen does not stop ovulation — it actually increases ovulation. This is probably true even at the low daily doses that you take for breast cancer treatment. At higher doses, tamoxifen is in fact used as a fertility treatment."

    I went into chemo-induced menopause and have not had a period since January 2009. My doctors are all confident that my cycle will return. My onc. says that it takes about a year and she expects me to start menstrating in December or January again. I don't know...

    Mimi

    Thanks again Mimi for this
    Thanks again Mimi for this information. For some reason, I thought tamox thru you into menopause because so many had written that it did. Thanks for clearing that up.

    Leeza
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #27
    jnl said:

    Thanks again Mimi for this
    Thanks again Mimi for this information. For some reason, I thought tamox thru you into menopause because so many had written that it did. Thanks for clearing that up.

    Leeza

    No problem, Leeza
    BTW, are you still drinking with the beetles? :)
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #28
    mimivac said:

    No problem, Leeza
    BTW, are you still drinking with the beetles? :)

    Hiccup
    LOL

    Hiccup

    LOL
  • Dawne.Hope
    Dawne.Hope Member Posts: 823
    #29
    mimivac said:

    Tamoxifen and menopause
    Just wanted to add a note to this discussion. According to breastcancer.org: "Although it causes hot flashes, tamoxifen does not make you menopausal. About 20% of women will have irregular periods on tamoxifen, but only a few stop their cycles entirely. Tamoxifen will not cause early menopause unless you're already on the brink. After you stop taking tamoxifen, your body usually goes back to where it was before. Tamoxifen does not stop ovulation — it actually increases ovulation. This is probably true even at the low daily doses that you take for breast cancer treatment. At higher doses, tamoxifen is in fact used as a fertility treatment."

    I went into chemo-induced menopause and have not had a period since January 2009. My doctors are all confident that my cycle will return. My onc. says that it takes about a year and she expects me to start menstrating in December or January again. I don't know...

    Mimi

    thanks mimi! this is along
    thanks mimi! this is along the lines of what I'd read but the lady I talked to seemed so confident. thank you for the information!
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #30
    Dawne.Hope said:

    thanks mimi! this is along
    thanks mimi! this is along the lines of what I'd read but the lady I talked to seemed so confident. thank you for the information!

    Dawne, I was a little disturbed
    that this lady would "push you" to stop your medication -- over misinformation at that. I'm not saying that she didn't have a bad experience on Tamoxifen, but cancer is so individual. Your experience may not mirror mine and people should never advise someone to start or stop something based on anecdotal experience alone. My 2 cents.

    Mimi
  • Dawne.Hope
    Dawne.Hope Member Posts: 823
    #31
    mimivac said:

    Dawne, I was a little disturbed
    that this lady would "push you" to stop your medication -- over misinformation at that. I'm not saying that she didn't have a bad experience on Tamoxifen, but cancer is so individual. Your experience may not mirror mine and people should never advise someone to start or stop something based on anecdotal experience alone. My 2 cents.

    Mimi

    It upset me too
    I'm having a hard enough time taking it. I've read about all the adverse side effects, I know what can happen, but it seems, at least for now, that taking it is the best option for me. To have someone push you and highlight all the bad, and then give you some misinformation is not helpful! Ugh. People mean well, but it really isn't helpful. There is so much information out there that it is hard to sort out the good from the false. One reason why this board is so helpful.

    Thanks again! :)
  • pitt
    pitt Member Posts: 387
    #32
    mimivac said:

    Dawne, I was a little disturbed
    that this lady would "push you" to stop your medication -- over misinformation at that. I'm not saying that she didn't have a bad experience on Tamoxifen, but cancer is so individual. Your experience may not mirror mine and people should never advise someone to start or stop something based on anecdotal experience alone. My 2 cents.

    Mimi

    Mimi
    Triple negative...now everything makes sense. I've read so many of your posts regarding nutrition, etc. I remember reading in some scientific studies that for triple negative bc very simple changes in reducing fat intake and increased exercise significantly reduce recurrence rates; whereas for hormone receptive bc those results would be neglible... although, I still am a proponent of "every little bit helps." Yes - for me the road will be to put me into menopause once I am finished with Tamoxifen...so be it. As I said before, every little bit helps. Pitt
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #33
    pitt said:

    Mimi
    Triple negative...now everything makes sense. I've read so many of your posts regarding nutrition, etc. I remember reading in some scientific studies that for triple negative bc very simple changes in reducing fat intake and increased exercise significantly reduce recurrence rates; whereas for hormone receptive bc those results would be neglible... although, I still am a proponent of "every little bit helps." Yes - for me the road will be to put me into menopause once I am finished with Tamoxifen...so be it. As I said before, every little bit helps. Pitt

    Yes, you're right
    For us triple negs exercise and diet is our Tamoxifen. That's why I feel so damn guilty whenever I put an unhealthy morsel in my mouth or skip a day of exercise. I had to practically glue myself to my seat last night at the movies to stop from getting a nice, fluffy box of buttered popcorn. I swear I could barely enjoy the movie.
  • pitt
    pitt Member Posts: 387
    #34
    mimivac said:

    Yes, you're right
    For us triple negs exercise and diet is our Tamoxifen. That's why I feel so damn guilty whenever I put an unhealthy morsel in my mouth or skip a day of exercise. I had to practically glue myself to my seat last night at the movies to stop from getting a nice, fluffy box of buttered popcorn. I swear I could barely enjoy the movie.

    Dang girl! It's always
    Dang girl! It's always going to be something, isn't it? I'm coming off a really bad couple of days and just the thought of being on the tamoxifen phase has me chomping at the bit. A new reality...that's what we're living in. Hang in there, Pitt

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