CHEMO AND MENOPAUSE

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I am so confused.and i have posted before about a similar issue Anyway i have been reading various posts and various women who are in their mid 40’s are saying that they have started their period a year or 2 years after chemo. What i can’t get my head around is from what i have read, if you havent had a period for a year then any bleeing after that is abnormal. So my question is…is this the same for us ladies who’s periods have stopped because of chemo? does it temporarlly shut down our ovaries and then can they wake up again? My GP said that chemo knackers the ovaries and periods do not return, yet i have also been told by my chemo and breast cancer nurses that periods can return even when you are in your mid 40’s. How do we know if we are in menopause or not? Hormome tests arent accurate either because they fluctuate after having chemo…my period started a year after chemo and have been having really odd ones that are lasting for a few weeks starting light then heavy then pink spotting…I don’t want children because i have 2 already…there seems to be no answers to this…

 

karen xx.

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Hi I think in general if you go through natural menopause then after a year of having no periods you start to bleed this is seen as abnormal but those of us who were put into a chemically induced menopause from  Chemo and/or Tamoxifen our periods can come back. I think any bleeding after a couple of years should be checked out.  I was 45 when my periods stopped on chemo I then took Tamoxifen for 5 years which I finished end of March this year and a couple of weeks ago I started to bleed, I had period symptoms, tummy ache and tender boobs. I spoke to BCN who said that even though I am 51 and hadn’t had a period for 5 years I could still be pre or peri menopausal and my periods could come back. She said to speak to my GP, which I did and she has referred me to gynecologist as a precaution. The bleeding stopped the day after I saw my GP so am thinking and hoping it was a period. Maybe I should of waited to see if a pattern emerged then I would know if it is my periods back, but I suppose it’s best to be on the safe side.

All the best xx