how long after "chemo pause" did your period come back?

Hey Celine, as you probably know from researching here, it depends on a lot of things like your age (over 40 has a lower chance of it coming back).  But...nothing taught me like cancer that rules are just a guideline! I was so in denial that my period could possibly come back after 2 years and 2 months I was calling the hospital with "rectal bleeding" and "stomach discomfort" (thought it was pizza from the night before ; )  I had two, then haven't had it since.  

The thing is, the hormonal treatments throw everything for a loop.  Most women don't have consistent periods on Tamoxifen.  Your doctor won't put you on an AI until you are officially in menopause.  My FSH was through the roof--47--and I thought the higher estrogen was just a lark.  Turns out Tamoxifen can screw with FSH scores.

My general take on it all is, the longer you are away from treatment, the less the period matters.  For me, it was a control issue.  If I got it back, somehow I hadn't been so stricken with this disease.

I found that living the best you can at the moment you are is so much less mental anguish.  If I'm in peri, fine--I'm prepared as best I can be to take care of my body if I'm in early menopause.  My naturopath was extremely helpful in this regard.  Truthfully, you don't have any control over it.  For me, that was hard to accept.

The comment, "For me, it was a control issue If I got it my period back, somehow I hadn't been so stricken with this disease" was exactly how I felt. I so related to that statement.



I was 42, just shy of 43 and after 7 & 1/2 months of chemo I waited for my period to come back for at least a year. Eventually I resigned to the fact that I was thrown into overnight menopause. It was awful. The hot flashes and night sweats were relentless for almost 10 years. I told my gyn that no one had EVER told me that menopause was so brutal. He explained that my menopause, being chemically induced was like having my ovaries removed without HRT, and therefore was much worse than normal menopause.



It took me several years to recover from the resentment of how much BC had taken away from me. I was just very fortunate that I had my children by then. That realization that I had my children and some women who went through chemically induced menopause did not yet have the children they had hoped for made me stop feeling sorry for myself.



As my friends began to go through their normal age related menopause, and the hot sweats, I was glad that was behind me.



I am 66 now and very grateful to have survived to see my children grow up, graduate, get married, and make me a grandma. Now my only daily reminder of what I lived through is needing that darn prosthesis.

My last period was in August 2012, I finished chemo in November 2012. I will be 51 next month. I wish I knew if my periods were going to return. What do you all think? I am not on hormone therapy as my cancer was triple negative.

Exactly six months after the Taxol kicked me into chemopause my period returned; ironically the day before I started tamoxifen. I was not sad to say goodbye to those awful hot flashes! I do worry that my body is an estrogen factory still at 45. My once tells me not to worry so I'm trying not too!!!

I see my early menopause as the only good that has come of this cancer. Good riddance.