I am 54 yrs old, have been on Tamoxifen for 2 years now and haven’t had any periods. I’ve had 2 blood tests (6 months apart) and the doctor told me she would ‘bet her house’ that I couldn’t get pregnant now!!! I am just not sure whether to believe her!!! Are the blood tests accurate while you are taking tamoxifen?
Any help or advice would be very gratefully received, thank you.
Hello, my oncologist advised for an accurate result you have to stop Tamoxifen for around 6 weeks to be tested. I would question this and be interested to know how you get on. I’ve been on Tamoxifen for 5 years & was told it was not advisable to stop Tamoxifen for a hormone test until after 55 as keep stopping it to do tests could be detrimental. I was due to stop and test this year but my circumstances have changed and am now secondary so on Tamoxifen permanently. Hope this helps x
Hello Jane7
Thank you for your post.
It’s not unusual for your periods to change or stop whilst taking tamoxifen. Sometimes the menopause will occur naturally in this time. However, amenorrhea (no periods) is not a guarantee that you have gone through the menopause and if you are sexually active it may still be possible for you to become pregnant.
You mention that you have had 2 blood tests. Blood tests which may be considered to check whether a woman has gone through the menopause are usually those to check the levels of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) or AMH (anti mullerian hormone). and maybe what you had.
However, as @rabbit28 mentions, treatment teams may recommend that tamoxifen is stopped for a few weeks before checking blood levels as there are concerns that the tamoxifen could make the test results less reliable.
It sounds like it would be a good idea to speak to your breast care nurse or treatment team, so you can get some clarity and understanding about the tests you have had, their reliability, and what they mean.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000, (Relay UK -prefix 18001).
If you would prefer one of our nurses to call you. To do this, please complete this form ticking the box agreeing to a call back.
Our usual opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm and 9am -1pm on Saturday.
Out of hours you can leave a message and we will call you back when we next open.
Best wishes
Wendy
Breast Care Nurse
Please read the Ask Our Nurses disclaimer Full details on how we collect and use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy
This thread will now be closed from further replies. If you have any additional questions or would like to provide feedback, please start a new thread.