Chime in Ladies

[Phuong]

I haven't seen this topic come up, but I can't imaging it being too unique. Radiation basically sent me into instant menopause - not fun. Aside from taking away the ability to get pregnant (still working on wrapping my head around that mentally & emotionally), it gave me some wicked hot flashes...opening windows when it's 30 degrees outside because I'm burning up. These subsided for a while, but for some reason they've returned every once in a while at night. Had an interesting appt with the OB/GYN today. I've got the best in the county and he has lots of experience with patients with rectal cancer. I'm starting hormone replacement therapy because he is concerned about my lack of estrogen production, particularly because of my youth as it puts me at a higher risk for osteoporosis. Rather than going with the pill (since that has to be processed through the liver), he prescribed a patch - to be changed 2x per week. I was curious as to whether anyone else has done this and how it affected your body.

[jmarie]

Not sure if I am in early menopause, my menstruation stopped when i first started folfox(two years ago) and didn't come back until this past summer when I was on the clinical trial. It stopped again by my last period which should have during round 8 of my current Folfox. I have been told that due to the cancer I will never be able to be on hormone replacement. Are you sure its ok to be on hormones? I haven't really researched it so I could be misinformed.

[Surroundedbylove]

I also went into instant menopause with the radiation and had bad night sweats. My onc was fine with trying different therapies - at least for six months - to deal with it. I didn't try the patch you've mentioned. Here was my onc's plan:

Try Remifemin - half dose and see if that works (a specific brand of black cohosh that has more controlled production and also trials in cancer patients). If that didn't work, then go to full dose of Remifemin. If that didn't work then he would let me try estrogen only replacement therapy. He did NOT agree to HRT (the type with progestin and estrogen) because of the breast cancer risk. He also agreed to topical estrogen cream vaginally.

The Remifemin really helped and usually I just needed the half dose and I only needed it for about 6 months. I do still use the topical estrogen.

In my case, the breast cancer risk is pretty low so that also played into the decisions. He said that as long as I didn't have Lynch and I didn't have a big breast cancer risk, that the estrogen actually might be a good thing - they think it perhaps is protective against colorectal cancer. May be bad for breast cancer though......tough call.

[willtowin]

I've been in menopause since surgical menopause w/ my resection. I discussed hormone therapy before my surgery and see someone that specialises in that for my gyn. He believes that i receive some protection from hormone therapy and that it is actually lowering my risk of colon cancer too. Yes, concerned about osteoporosis, as well as others things not easily discussed. But, suffice it to say, that without estrogen, we just don't have any "youthfulness" or "stretch" to our tissues. W/ estrogen it is soooo much better. True, i may be increasing risk for breastcancer. Studies have been both ways on that. I use only estrogen and it is bio-identical topical gel, called estrogel. I'll try to remember to post more links and studies later, out of time now.

[jmarie]

My OB/GYN might have been concerned since my Mom and paternal Aunt had breast cancer. Now that I think about it, at the time I hadn't been tested for Lynch yet. This is probably why they thought it was too risky for me. Plus when chemo stops my period comes back , so I think technically I am not really in early menopause, just temporary. I do wish I could be on birth control pills though.

[Jen]

Basically through (and caused by) treatment was my harsh quick menoupause journey at least a decade too soon. I tried HRT but it put me in a permanent PMS mood - that bloated heavy eating moody time before each cycle. My gp warned me of the dangers of HRT and referred to a few major studies. I decided to give it up. Now I take a multivitamin with plant estrogen called Estroven - who knows if it really does anything. I just decided I'll work through the issues naturally. There is bioidentical HRT - it is not proven to be safer but it is supposed to be tailored to your needed levels rather than a standard dosed pill so it is said it is a lot less risky. I may try something again in the future, I hope my aging won't be entirely fast forwarded due to not having estrogen.

[meeko]

I am on premerin since my hysterectomy. My gyn says its better for me to be on this as its protecting me from other health concerns...bones, heart etc. She says I can be on it safely until the time I would normally be in menopaus around 52. This is estrogen only btw.

[dianne052506]

I was still having regular periods at age 38 when I started chemo, but I think that threw me into perimenopause. Then, after 4 rounds of chemo, the last CT scan before my liver resection showed "suspicious" ovaries, so I had an unexpected hysterectomy at MDA. When I saw my GYN 2 months later about the hot flashes and terrible night sweats, he said hormone replacement therapy as a last resort. Black cohash before that. And even before that, try Vitamin E and Evening Primrose Oil capsules. I thought it was a lot of crock, but this guy was voted "best in the area" by the other OB/GYN in a milion plus metro area, so I thought it would try. In less than 2 weeks, both the hot flashes and the night sweats were 95% gone. I never tried the other therapies after that.

Dianne

[Phuong]

I got set up with HRT with the estrogen and progestin combo. He did mention that it increases the risk of breast cancer and heart attack, but the study was with people well over my age group and he thought the benefits outweighed the risk for me. Willtowin, you are SO right on the stretch. That was the secondary issue being addressed with therapy. I tried the topical vaginal estrogen, but it caused a burning pain for me, so that was the end of that! I'm hoping that this will be much better.

[HildaC]

I just finished my neoadjuvant rad/chemo. No hot flashes yet, but last month, I somehow ended up having two periods, within 2 weeks, and they were pretty odd. The rad onc said I will most definitely go into radiation-induced menopause, but he couldn't tell me when.

Thanks for your replies, ladies, I'll be stocking up on black cohosh and vitamin E.

[fritts44]

Hi Hilda. I'll be joining you in 6 weeks. My rad-onc said that he will be putting me in menopause when I begin radiation.

My ob-gyn believes in bio-identical hormones. I have an appt w/him just previous to my radiation starting so I can be all set up in time. I'm hoping to minimize the menopause symptoms that way.

Lee F

[Ang C]

I did my research before my hysterectomy and ovary removal (for Lynch) and decided to go with the oestrogen-only patches. Combined HRT seemed to be the culprit in most studies for increased risk of other cancers and stroke, and I was concerned about the longer term effects ie oesteoporosis. Oestrogen-only patches seemed to increase the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer, but I don't have those parts anymore, so not an issue for me.

However, the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council concluded that "There is no clear evidence on risks and benefits of HRT for younger women with premature or surgical menopause". As a 42 yr old surgically menopausal women I guess that means I take the research with a grain of salt!

I have found the patches good for eliminating the hot flashes and helping with my moods. I have been pretty "emotionally mobile" since the surgery in November (read=cry all the time) and have recently increased the dosage of my patch which seems to have done the trick. However, I just got some wacky liver function blood tests. I know the whole idea of the patch is to give the liver a break, but they are a potentially causitive factor that we can test, so I have gone back to the lower dose patch and will have another blood test in a few weeks to see if it has any effect. Hoping that it is the patches and not something more sinister in the liver.

[SoCalSaz]

Yep, my periods stopped about a month into chemo/rad (so about 8 months ago) and haven't come back. My onc said it was OK to use estrogen cream but she didn't want me to be on oral estrogen till after chemo is completely finished.

Hot flashes were awful for about 5 or 6 months, but they've lessened considerably in the past month or two. No noticeable mood swings beyond the expected ups and downs of going through treatment, though my libido has taken a nose dive (my poor boyfriend!)... hope that comes back eventually, even if my periods don't!

Thanks for posting this question, Phuong -- I've been curious what other women's experiences have been like on this score.

[Phuong]

OMG, should I be offended? It's such a minor issue, but I went to pick up my prescription and after giving me my consult, the pharmacist asked is this for you? I said yes (duh, it's clearly my prescription) and his reply was "but you are so young! Why are you taking this?" I wanted to say pardon me, but that's none of your business! But my daughter was with me so I kept my mouth shut. I still haven't decided if I'm being silly or justified in my crankiness.

[eve]

but I went to pick up my prescription and after giving me my consult, the pharmacist asked is this for you? I said yes (duh, it's clearly my prescription) and his reply was "but you are so young

God, that is so rude! I don't believe a pharmacist could be so insensitive. I understand why you didn't want to say anything in front of your daughter but I wish someone teaches this guy a lesson.
A simple "I'm going through early menopause because of chemotherapy for my cancer, do you want to comment on that?" would probably do it.

Having said that -take it as a compliment! it's nice the local pharmacist finds you so young and helathy looking, he can't imagine why you would need hormone replacement