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 healthcare team about your symptoms. Several non-hormonal medicines work well for hot flushes. If you have vaginal dryness, talk to your doctor about trying the treatments mentioned above. In some states you can also ask for a referral to a menopause clinic.
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 fall pregnant, you may feel a great sense of loss. Talking to a counsellor or someone in a similar situation may help. For information about counselling services and support groups in your area, call Cancer Connect on 13 11 20.
If you had treatment for hormone-sensitive breast cancer, avoid hormone-based contraception (“the pill”, implants or injections). Use condoms, diaphragms or non-hormone intrauterine devices (IUDs). If you had triple negative breast cancer, talk to your doctor.
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A/Prof Cindy Mak, Breast Surgeon and Director of Breast Services, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW; A/Prof Nick Murray, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Royal Adelaide Hospital and GenesisCare Adelaide, SA; Caroline Bennett, Consumer; Tamara Casey, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Breast Assessment Unit, Fiona Stanley Hospital, WA; A/Prof Joe Dusseldorp, Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Lauren Lores, Consumer; Dr Linda Madigan, Breast Physician, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Catherine Meredith, Consumer; Ash Mondolo, Breast Cancer Clinical Nurse Consultant, Mater Private Hospital, QLD; Chris Rivett, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA; Catrina Ross, McGrath Breast Care Nurse, Northern Sydney Local Health District, NSW; Prof Christobel Saunders AO, James Stewart Chair of Surgery and Director of Research, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, VIC; Dr Janice Yeh, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; A/Prof Yvonne Zissiadis, Radiation Oncologist, Medical Director, GenesisCare WA and Adjunct A/Prof, Curtin University, WA.
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