Hi hope some of you can help or reassure. I am coming up to three years post treatment, chemo rads ets and am triple negative. I am 53 and my periods stopped during chemo, never to return, yeah. However over the past few months I have had three one day bleeds. They felt like a period usual symptoms, but this weekend I had really bad ache above my right buttock and then the next day a small bleed. Mentioned it to my onc lasttime I saw him, he said to go to gp if happened again. Has anyone else had anything like this. Was wondering if my periods were trying to kick start but seems ridiculous. I have just rung my surgery, they dont have an appt till weds eve!!!Or…should I even bother?
Hi, I’m 48 and my periods stopped November 2006 after my first chemo. I was confirmed as being post menopausal the following year. As I was having a few problems I was given topical oestrogen pessaries to use once or twice a week to help with dryness etc; at the time I was also having slight panic attacks.
Last year I had a 2 slight bleeds accompanied by period pains, so I checked a few female health sites and they all said to see a GP. It’s what they refer to as a “post menopausal bleed” and has to be checked out. I was referred to a post-meno bleed clinic at the local hospital and had an internal ultrasound plus some blood tests to see whether my post-meno status could have changed, but the tests showed I was definitely still post menopausal. They also tried to take a biopsy, but as I have had laser treatment to my cervix over 20 years ago this would not be possible unless I went under anaesthetic due to the scar tissue. I had to make the clinic appointment myself via a number given out by my GP. She did a smear test and I had to ring the clinic 2 days later; I was given an appointment 3 weeks off as the Consultants had looked at my notes and didn’t think it was anything too serious.
The explanation I was given was that every now and then after your periods stop, your ovaries can have a sudden surge of hormones where everything tries to kick start again. I was also told to stop the pessaries, but I didn’t really need them any more. My periods just stopped with the treatment, I had no real hot flushes or anything. Two Consultant Gynaecologists and my oncologist told me this is the often the worst way to go through the menopause as everything just shuts off pretty immediately instead of winding down.
You definitely need to get it checked out as it the standard protocol to refer you for this. However, I spoke to my breast nurse about it and she said they often get calls from worried ladies who are post treatment who experience this, so it’s not uncommon. I have had no further problems.
Hope this helps.
Hi Cherub, thankyou for your thoughts, its good to know I’m not alone.I loathe anything to do with gynae problems, so not looking foreward to going to the doctor, you wouldnt think I had two children! Was going to ask about about dryness too, so hopefully all related
Hi, I had a similar thing 5 years after treatment, with no periods since chemo (echo the ‘yeah’!). It turned out to be a harmless polyp in my womb, which had grown so large as to protrude through the neck (bit sci fi if you ask me). It had cuased the bleeding and was easily removed, I have no problems since then.
If you have been on tamoxifen it can sometimes cause womb lining to thicken and polyps etc to grow, usually entirely harmless.
Sarah
Hi Sarah, thanks for replying. I dont take anything at all. I’m sure it will be something and nothing, but I guess I get paranoid now. I know three other women with breast cancer(in my family circle) and they have all got secondries, it gives you the wobbles really. Think its more the thought of being prodded and poked again!
When I had the ultrasound last year they told me I had 2 fibroids, but they were very small and nothing to worry about.
Lizzy, I’d recommend using Replens once or twice a week for the dryness. You can buy it in Boots for about £10, but some Gps are happy to write a prescription for it. I also use Sylk from time to time. Both are natural with no nasty additives. Replens was recommended by my oncologist as I got a bit sore down below when I was on chemo.