Chemo kick starting menopause.

[Aussiebean]

Would anyone mind sharing their experience of chemotherapy starting menopause?

I am about to start my 4th round and after my third I have horrific night sweats. And to quote the young oncologist ‘it does sound like your ovaries are shutting down’ 🙄

did not appreciate that.

anyway, I’m 45 so young, does anyone have any experience? I am hoping that it will speed up the process so this won’t be a long experience because I barely sleep with the night sweats.

much appreciated.

Hi , I’ve been told that sometimes chemo just sends your ovaries into hibernation not full menopause so it might come back!

Ive just finished chemo and they gave me drugs to induce menopause because my cancer is hormone driven so I’m definitely in menopause. I am 36.

those drugs started in September and I still have night sweats though they aren’t as bad. I’m no longer soaking through bedding just a bit flushed when it happens and I always need a shower when I wake up but before cancer I’d often just shower the night before…

I am told that diet can help so am following Mediterranean/anti inflammatory diet. And evening primrose oil was recommended to me (and ok’d by cancer nurse) but not sure there’s much scienctific evidence behind that.

I experienced similar. Starting Chemo threw me into immediate menopause (very few peri symptoms prior to diagnosis.) The good news was that while menopause symptoms came on hard & fast with Chemo - it was all over & done with in about 4 months.

I needed to shut down my ovaries - oestrogen was feeding my cancer.

No menopause symptoms after chemo at all. So I was never completely sure whether I was experiencing chemo side effects or menopause symptoms.

Hi, @Aussiebean
I also had a chemo induced menopause in 2018, for me my periods stopped completely after chemo cycle 2.
It was brutal, as rather than a gradual buildup of symptoms everything seemed to happen at once.
I'm on aromatose inhibitors now for 10 years, which haven't helped, as they seem to increase the intensity of the symptoms, the main reason I don't take them as often as I should.
The hot flushes were at their most intense for the first three years, but then they settled down quite a lot.
Insomnia and fatigue are my worse symptoms by far, as, 6 years on, I'm still struggling.
Joint pain has gradually increased and vaginal dryness started for me in about year 4.
It's a long slog, but probably worse as I'm on the aronatose inhibitors and my breast cancer was hormone positive so I can't take HRT.
I hope you have a better experience.

I’m had my first chemo at 35 and that caused my periods to stop. Although I had just had a baby and I was also very malnourished going into it. I had tongue cancer that was found when I was pregnant. my periods did eventually start back up.
I then had breast cancer (triple negative) at 37 and the chemo stopped my periods then too. I finished my treatment, including radiation, just over a year ago and I’ve had a couple of periods in that time.

i had my last period after my first chemo - Aug 2024. I haven’t had once since and have had hot flushes. The breast care nurse said that my age was close enough for them to stop and far enough away that they might come back. I’m 43. So clear as mud. Yesterday I felt a bit PMT ish.