I have been on Tamoxifen since September 2011. I was 48 when diagnosed, in march 2011, and had a Mirena coil, so I was still having scant periods. The day after my diagnosis I had my coil removed and have not had a period since March 2011. I’ve had horrendous hot flushes since my Taxotere chemo and am now on Clonidine which helps a little.
Last week I went for a routine health check, now I’m 50, at my GP. The nurse took blood for cholesterol and I asked her to take hormone levels to see if I am menopausal, as I’ve had no periods for 2 years and have hot flushes.
Today I called in for the results and the message was; “They are normal for someone of my age and show that I am approaching the menopause”. (I’m 50 now).
I’m not quite clear what this means!
The nurse at the health check told me to come back in a month and have them checked again. They need 3 results apparently to prove whether you’re menopausal.
Anyone else in the same boat?!
The reason I’m so curious, is that I’ve read a few articles that say 2 years on tamoxifen plus 3 years on an AI give slightly better long term results than 5 years on tamoxifen alone. But obviously I can’t have an AI unless I’m through the menopause.
Mandy xx
Bump
I have never had any blood tests to check hormone levels but was diagnosed at 46. The usual treatment 10 years ago was 5 years Tamoxifen and this was the “gold star” treatment back then. By the time I had reached 5 years, AIs were the follow on treatment for me, was going to be 3 years on Letrozole but Onc has said that now he wants me to be on it 5 years. I can’t find any trials showing any results of 5 Tam and 5 Letrozole and my Surgeon told me that the jury is out on timescales and it seems that each Onc has their own views on it I have found.
I am looking at it this way, all my hormone treatment is “banked” and should keep the cancer from returning as they are effective in the future, I am sure someone can put it a bit better.By the time you have completed your 5 years Tam you may be postmenopausal and can go on to AIs then.
I had a blood test middle of last year. I think it was mainly because my onc was checking my vit d level and decided to include the hormone one at the same time. Like you Mandy, her words to me were “yes, you are menopausal”, so just exactly what stage that is I don’t know.
She mentioned originally to me 2 years tamoxifen and 3 years AIs. But I wasn’t particularly happy about that for the simple reason my mother had very bad osteoporosis and I am very careful to do everything to protect my bones. I have also for the last 3 years been having orthodontic work to straighten my teeth out, started before the bc diagnosis, and my orthodontist told me straight that taking AIs was not a good combination with orthodontic work. So I would prefer (if you could call it that) to stick with the Tam.
When I mentioned this to my onc she was happy to stick to the Tamoxifen as in her words, there was only marginal difference in stats depending on whose stats you looked at. I think from reading the forums that every onc has a different opinion and it is a case of taking all personal circumstances into account.
I for one am counting the days and will not under any circumstances be taking anything for longer than 5 years. I might not even get there yet.
Hi Mandy,
As has been said, there seem to be differences of opinions amongst oncs. I was on tamoxifen for five years, finishing last October. My periods stopped during chemo in 2007 when I was 44. I suffered a lot with hot flushes during tamoxifen, and assumed that I was menopausal. I asked to go on to an AI after two or three years, but was told that as I had not been menopausal pre-treatment, there was no guarantee that I was truly menopausal now - it could all be temporary due to medication, and could reverse. If that was the case AIs would not work. Well I turned 50 in September, stopped tamoxifen in October, and since then have been all over the place.
To start with I could feel my temperature dropping, flushes going, I stopped the citalopram that I was taking for the flushes, then my temperature soared again, hot flushes back with a vengeance, went back on citalopram, I have been very spotty like my teenage daughter - so unfair at 50! - so obviously my hormones are all over the place. Then this last week I have had a period, plus I am still having mild hot flushes. How does that work? Seems to be the worst case scenario. So am I pre-menopausal, menopausal, or what? And - horror of horrors - could I theoretically get pregnant as I have had a period? Something I have not needed to consider since 2007!
Oh Roadrunner!! I’m gutted to hear you’ve started bleeding again after finishing 5 years on Tamoxifen. I just aasumed that as I’d not bled for 2 years now, that that was it. It never occurred to me that periods would begin again. Whilst I was having my radiotherapy, I was under a different team than I was for my chemo. The registrar on the radiotherapy team asked me about my periods then, and I told her I’d not bled for 7 months at that point. She was pleased with this and said they didn’t want me to bleed and that if I did start, to phone up as I would need an injection help stop it.
So now I don’t really know what to think!!