1st period after "chemopause" - SUPER HEAVY!!!

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Ukkate
Ukkate Member Posts: 292
edited June 2014 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

So my last period was in June 2013 as I was having my 2nd dose of TCH.  It just came back (I'm 42) and it's a doozy.  REALLY heavy - like bleed through a super tampon every 1.5 hours heavy for the past 3 days.  Is this normal do you think?  Should I call my doctor?  Which doctor?  I wouldn't have been upset to not see my period again!

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  • Girlstrong
    Girlstrong Member Posts: 438
    edited January 2014

    oh I wish I could help you with this. I think I am in chemo pause. I'm 42 and haven't had my period since September 2013 after my 2nd dose of AC. How long does chemo pause last? Or how dou you know if it's truly menopause? 

    If you are bleeding this heavy, maybe go to ER??? 

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  • ziggypop
    ziggypop Member Posts: 1,071
    edited January 2014

    My periods were that heavy and very unpredictable(for about 3 years) when I was starting menopause (lasted from about age 46 to 49). Sometimes a super tampon wouldn't even last a half hour. I would never want to say that going to the er is an over reaction - but some women have periods that strong for many many years. I would for sure call my gyno and onc in the morning (and you could call the er - most have a nurse on duty but they generally will tell you to come in because if they don't and something happens they can get in legal trouble).  

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  • christina0001
    christina0001 Member Posts: 1,491
    edited January 2014

    I got my first period after chemo a few weeks ago. I hadn't had a period in 22 months. It was VERY heavy. It started with very bad cramping and I did not know why I was having such bad pain, so I went to the ER. While at the ER I got my period, big time! They ended up keeping me overnight for observation because my hemoglobin dropped quickly, and if it had kept dropping, I might have needed a blood transfusion. Fortunately after about 12 hours, the flow really slowed down and I felt much better. They sent me home with prescription pain killers (which I didn't need at that point, but just in case), an iron supplement to rebuild my blood levels, and a prescription for a non-hormonal medication to slow down a heavy period (which I also did not need at that point, but who knows what future months will bring).

    Being that you've been bleeding heavily for three days, I would go ahead and call your ob/gyn. This is not uncommon for breast cancer patients who have been through chemo, and she will know what to do. They might want to check your blood levels and make sure you are not anemic. And you might benefit from that medication to slow down your period, too. Sorry, I forget the name!

    girlstrong, your ob/gyn can check your hormone levels to see if you are truly in "chemopause" or not. My ob/gyn checked mine last summer and told me that Aunt Flo would probably be coming back eventually, so it wasn't a total surprise.

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