To make them more comfortsble ask for a local anesthetic cream that you put on an hour or so before...cover with non porous stuff like cling film and tape that over the injection area. I had zolodex for 2 years 48-50....I've had menopause....periods haven't returned so far. Sex drive can be affected by zolodex as well as effectively its putting you in menopause.
The way it's been described to us from our specialists is that you shouldn't feel any different between zoladex and oophorectomy. They both achieve exactly the same thing. If you are not planning on having more children and don't mind (that much) the operation, then an oophorectomy is more practical since you avoid the hassle of the injections.
One thing to note though is that you should make sure you check your estrogen levels (via a simple blood test) to make sure zoladex is indeed suppressing them adequately. There is a small % of women where zoladex may not fully work, so it's worth double-checking for peace of mind.
While you're waiting for replies on here, I wanted to let you know that we have a telephone volunteer who had Zoladex who then went onto have an oopherectomy (removal of ovaries).
If you'd like me to arrange a phone call with them, feel free to ring me on 0345 077 1893 and I'll put you in touch.
Hi ladies im 45 and on zoladex and letrozole as couldnt tolerate tamoxifen. Ive been told today i need 5 years of zoladex injections due to my age and to make sure im protected. But after that if i havent gone through menopause my ovaries may start producing oestrogen. So he said a hysterectomy with ovary removal would make sure the ER+ cancer wont return and i wont need the zoladex injections. Has anyone started the zoladex and gone on to have a Hysterectomy? And what happens to your sex drive? Ive still got that and dont fancy losing it! Ive had 4 zoladex injections so far but theyre not great things to have. X
