return of period after chemopause

mags20487

My last period was the same weekend of my second chemo back in October.  It has not come back yet.  How long did it take for you to get it back and were there any symptoms ahead of it that alerted you to it's upcoming return?  My doc said that at my age (44 now) I had a 50-50 shot of it returning.  I would not mind if it never came back but just wondering if I should keep a stash in my purse just in case.  I have had hot flashes which in the beginning were unbearable but have somewhat subsided now.

Maggie

Letlet

My " last" period was during my second dose of chemo too. It returned exactly one year later. Then I would have it every other month. It's still a work in progress...:)

LouLou40

I was 40, period stopped after 2nd chemo, peeriod returned 2 yrs later and has been regular for a year now, blood tests confirm I'm definitely premenopausal again.

mags20487

must be #2 chemo is the one that changes it.  My doc had said that if it did not return in 9 months it probably would not come back but you ladies blow that theory out of the water.  Glad to have accurate info from those who have experienced it.

Maggie

MaxineO

Mine returned about six weeks after chemo ended. It was regular, but much lighter. I am on tamoxifen, which may affect the flow. Now on ovarian suppressant, so no period anymore.

JoanQuilts

I was 34 when I underwent chemo for the first time (I've had two separate primary tumors, 19 years apart).  It stopped after a chemo or two, then returned about 3 months after the final chemo, stopped and started again once or twice more before stopping permanently by about age 35.

 My doc said that the closer I was to 30 the more likely it would return, the closer to 40, the more likely to not return.  I really missed having my period because it was a sign of normalcy and I wanted another child.  We ended up adopting child #2.   

Sassa

I was 56 when I started chemo and was still perimenopausal. I thought the chemo would finally put me over into menopause.  No such luck; 3 months after my last AC, my period returned.  No premenstrual symptoms, it just happened.

My female oncologist just laughed and told me I had cast iron ovaries.

cider8

I'm 40. My chemo ended 9 months ago. First period came at 7 months, second one right now at 9 months. My only PMS symptom is an intermittent slightly bloody discharge for maybe 2 weeks before. My periods have always been very irregular with 2 weeks PMS. This period is the heaviest I've ever had. I seem to have less physical signals, so my accident potential is higher. Oh, I did think my period would come back because my skin never did get dry. I had very oily skin before chemo and now it seems to be normal.

kriskat

I am having this same concern. My period stopped after chemo#1 in March 2011. Chemo ended in June 2011 and it's still not back. I am 37. It's making me worried about birth control. Just curious what others are using if u are er+? Being on tamoxifen, I am very concerned about getting pregnant.

_Ann_

Using condoms, but at my age (49) I'm very unlikely to conceive anyway.  I saw this guideline someplace "do not rely on chemotherapy as your only form of birth control" and it struck me as kind of funny but I did take the point to not ignore birth control just yet.

Isn't there a blood test to see if you're truly menopausal or not? 

JoanQuilts

With regard to birth control:  as I mentioned previously, my periods stopped during chemo when I was 34, came back only sporadically and then stopped completely.  I had one child at the time and desperately wanted to believe I could have another at some point, despite the fact that back then (1992-1993) doctors were still divided over whether pregnancy could spark a new breast cancer. 

So I wasn't ovulating or getting my period, but used condoms because I was terrified of getting pregnant with a pregnancy that I desperately wanted.  Pretty ironic, no?

kriskat

It's a double edged sword unfortunately JoanQuilts. My concern has been that 3 docs seem really concerned that it's over a yr since end of chemo and still no period. We have been using condoms but I was so freaked out that I took a home pregnancy test just to make sure. Haven't had to worry about birthcontrol for 18 yrs so this is kind of freaking me out.

christina0001

I'm about 2 months PFC and 33 years old. Also wondering if there are "signs" that it will come back, but I am looking at zoladex in the near future so it's probably a moot point. It's nice to not have to worry about it but it does make me feel less feminine.

txstardust

I was 36 years old when I started chemo.  My periods stopped after my first chemo in October of 2009.  I was tested to see if I was in menopause or not when my period still hadn't returned 17 months later, and I was considered to be menopausal at the time by my gyn/onc (who I was seeing due to other issues).  This was welcome news, since I can't take Tamox, and non-functioning ovaries meant I didn't really have to have the oophorectomy my MO was urging me to get.

Fast forward to last month (2 years and 9 months after my last period), when I had a freak-out over a PET that showed increased uptake and an enlarged ovary.  The gyn/onc was worried when he did the exam and felt something, which in turn made me very worried.  I asked him what the liklihood was that I could be ovulating again, and he seemed to think the chance was slim to none due to the length of time I was in chemopause.  He even ordered the CA125 test, thinking it might be an ovarian tumor.  I was a nervous wreck!

Guess what - I got my period 4 days later!  All of my doctors were very surprised that my period came back after so long.  Blood tests show that I am most definitely premenopausal again - to the point that the gyn/onc called me the same day of the test after getting the results to tell me to be SURE that I was using some form of birth control.  (Unfortunately for me, that's not a problem, but that's a post for another forum...)  CA125 levels were well within normal limits, which means that there's no cancer floating around in there. 

Anyway, I guess my point is that there are always "outliers" like me that defy the norm, so it probably wouldn't hurt to keep a few supplies handy, just in case! Since I have 2 teenage daughters, I was fortunate that there was stuff in the house.  BTW - that period was a doozy!  It only lasted for 3 days, but I had much heavier bleeding than I ever had before.   

calamtykel

Mine took about nine months to come back.  I wasn't happy about it !   I cannot take tamoxifen due to a hereditary clotting disorder (that I never knew about -thank you cancer...)   I will say that it's been weird - a month on a month off.  And not regular as far as a month either - sometimes it will be a month and a half or three months.  And when I ovulate from one side, it's pretty sore .I always used to get slight ovulation pain, but now it's a general soreness that lasts a couple of days.  In between the periods and ovulating, I get very dry and have wicked menopausal symptoms - hot flashes that are brutal.  The flashes stop once I ovulate and when I'm actually menstruating.

I'm going to the gyn tomorrow because I'm concerned about all of this.  I'm 43 - was kinda hoping chemo would  help me be done with all of this.  

kathleen1966

My period came back after ten months of not having one.  I was also 44 when diagnosed.  The symptoms that I had that indicated it was coming back were nicer skin, a lot of "discharge" (sorry if this is too much info) and a wicked headache that lasted over a month. I was starting to worry about the headache when "wa la"...it showed up and there was my explanation. That was one year ago.  The hot flashes that I was having went away before the nice skin showed up again.  I was happy to have it back because I didn't like the hot flashes and dry, wrinkly skin that I was experiencing with chemopause.  But it wasn't without problems.  I bleed very, very heavily the first three times and ended up having to have a uterine ablation.  But even this didn't get rid of the periods (My oncologist said I have ovaries of steal, although this is not related to needing the ablation). After the ablation, the hot flashes resumed for about a month, I didn't have one period and then it was back again but much, much lighter than before. Everything is very much back to normal now with my 28 day cycle. I worry that I was not given the anti estrogen drugs but my oncologist insists I don't need them as I am hormone negative. I did test mildly progesterone positive but my oncologist insisted that clinically, I am hormone negative.

sduch1

My last Taxol/Herceptin infusion was on June 1st. I stopped getting my period after my second TH. My first AC infusion was on July 27. I got my period on August 4! I was not expecting it and worried when it first happened. I had no real signs other than now in retrospect I realize that I had a dull headache leading up to it but couldnt distinguish the symptoms from the AC side effects. I am also worried about having it again in terms of what it means in relation to BC. I am ER- and slightly PR+. My MO has not decided yet if I will be getting Tamoxifen. I'm assuming that I will lose it again while in AC. I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing to get your period back. I am 35.

kabaraben

I was 39 when I was diagnosed in August 2010. My period ended at some point during the first phase of chemo, that was probably late September/early October of 2010. For the past 2 months, I have been cramping and having some tinges of color but nothing major so I wasn't sure what was going on. That is until this month where my body got off the pot and went into period overdrive. Homones, oily skin, cramps and bleeding, the whole kit and kaboodle. I seriously feel like I am in high school again, with the blotchy skin and all. It was nice to not have it around but I was always sad that my husband of 2 years and I wouldn't be able to have any kids of our own. Now, it appears we just might be able to. I have used an IUD for the past 7 years, the copper kind without added hormones for birth control. (which I highly recommend) By the time I am done with Tamoxifen, it will be time to take it out and then we get to decide about that last baby.

JoanQuilts

Aww, Kabaraben, I hope that it works out for you and your husband and you get to make a choice about a baby together!

SugarCakes

Cervical mucus has returned two years, 3 months after my first chemo and last period. I'm wondering....

Before getting pregnant over 7 years ago, I was tracking my cycle and this is definitely like times before and unusual since chemo and my last period.

I'm hoping it returns just for a sense of normalcy! Maybe I can stop meds for the hot flashes, get my metabolism back, and drop some of this added weight!!!