Chemotherapy can cause your periods to stop for a short time, or it may cause them to stop permanently (early menopause).
Symptoms of menopause include:
- hot flushes
- trouble sleeping
- vaginal dryness
- reduced sex drive (libido)
- tiredness
- dry skin
- mood swings
- weight gain
- osteoporosis.
Talk to your doctor or breast care nurse about how to relieve symptoms. If vaginal dryness does not respond to simple measures, talk to your doctor about vaginal oestradiol. Several non-hormonal medicines work well for hot flushes.
If chemotherapy causes menopause, you will not be able to have children naturally. Talk to your doctor before treatment starts, as there may be ways to reduce the risk of early menopause or preserve your fertility.
If you find out you might not be able to get pregnant and have a child, you may feel a great sense of loss. Talking to a counsellor or someone in a similar situation may help.
After treatment you should not use any hormone-based contraceptives (“the pill” or hormone implants or injections). It is best to use condoms, diaphragms or intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs).
For information about counselling services and support groups in your area, call Cancer Council 13 11 20.
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Dr Diana Adams, Medical Oncologist, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre, NSW; Prof Bruce Mann, Specialist Breast Surgeon and Director, Breast Cancer Services, The Royal Melbourne and The Royal Women’s Hospitals, VIC; Dr Shagun Aggarwal, Specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Prince of Wales, Sydney Children’s and Royal Hospital for Women, NSW; Andrea Concannon, consumer; Jenny Gilchrist, Nurse Practitioner Breast Oncology, Macquarie University Hospital, NSW; Monica Graham, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Natasha Keir, Nurse Practitioner Breast Oncology, GenesisCare, QLD; Dr Bronwyn Kennedy, Breast Physician, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, NSW; Lisa Montgomery, consumer; A/Prof Sanjay Warrier, Specialist Breast Surgeon, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Dr Janice Yeh, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC.
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