Pre-Menopausal Women: Period after taking Tamoxifen

hlya

I have been taking Tamoxifen for almost 5 years, - by this August actually.

I have been taking Zoladex injection in the first 3.5 years, then that injection was stopped and I have been on Tamoxifen only since then, no period at all since the 1st injection. In the last year I sometimes could see my secretions was darker than usually, but not obvious. Did couple of ultrasound exams, and saw family doctor every 6 months also saw gynecologist twice and was told nothing unusual with my uterine and ovaries.

Today my period suddenly comes, I am so scared..... (I am 47yo btw)

Did anyone get period coming back after you stopped Tamoxifen? Or even when you were taking Tamoxifen? I am still on Tam now. 

How did you deal with it? What did your doctor say? 

Any further treatment after Tamoxifen?

I know there might be lots of discussion about it, if anyone could send me a link of related topics that would be appreciated as well. 

wallycat

If you are not in true menopause, tamoxifen stimulates the ovaries and it is not unusual to get a period.

Did they tell you if you had any ovarian cysts?  How thick was your uterine lining?

There are things you can have checked to rule out worries (endometrial biopsy for an example).

47 is still pre-menopause and having periods then is not unusual.  Being on tamoxifen longer than 5 years can increase risk of uterine cancer, but the risk is still small.  

I had been off of tamoxifen for some time, did arimidex and completed my 5 years...took nothing for over a year and accidentally discovered (I am in a study for early detection of ovarian cancer) my uterine lining was 7.  In premenopause, that would have been fine; post menopause, not so fine.  I had a hysteroscopy and they discovered three polyps.  Had the polypectomy at the same time and everything came back b-9.

Best to you.

hlya

Hi, Wallycat:

Thanks for the information.

Couple of years ago I heard that it was not good to take Tam for more than 5 years.  Then lately I found some ladies in this forum were recommended by their ONCs to take Tam for 10 years.

Then I found this article on-line, pretty new (2013):  

http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/summa...

I will go to check my pelvic scan report  (can't remember the thickness)

hlya

Hi, Wallycat: 

So are you in post-menopause now? no period at all?  It's a great news about that B-9 result!

I took a look at my pelvic ultrasound report since 2009 when I was dx,  at the time when I was dx it was 1.2cm, but the doctor said that was nothing.  then after the surgery, I started to take Tam in Sep., did another u/l and the thickness was 11,  doctor said normal.  Then 2 years later, the report shows 7, then last year another u/l,  became 6.   A doctor in walk-in clinic (a senior female doctor) said Tam might thicken the endometrium but zoladex works another way - makes it thinner.

Does anyone know what is the percentage of Pre-menopausal women still get period when taking Tamoxifen? 

wallycat

It sounds like a period is thinning the endometrium, which is good.

11 for premeno on tamoxifen seems to be the cutoff from what I have read, so I think all is normal.  Of course, as we all learned here, if it isn't in a dish and examined ....

hope someone responds to your question.

Here are some abstracts that may or may not be helpful for you:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16476708

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12807236

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19761121

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17905660

hlya

Thanks for the links!  I will read them one by one before talking to my doctor.

My doctor said as I have fibroids, 1.2cm was still nothing remarkable even back in 2009.  And no I haven't had any period until yesterday so it was not the period made it thinning. 

I know someday I have to face to the question" what's next after 5 years tamoxifen"?  I know lots of people asked the same question.  

wallycat

I just emailed my oncologist asking if she is a proponent of the 10 year plan and she said it should not be a blanket decision.

She said grade, stage, etc. should all be factored before doing 10 years.  There are side effects from the medicines so it is always a delicate balance to get the best out of them without causing more trouble.

Best to you.