Sexual Side Effects

Owens69, it looks like the the answer to your question is No. Less estrogen, for any reason including menopause, will cause the problems you name. I've been on an AI for a year tomorrow and this is what I've learned to deal with it: First, talk to your oncologist about using Vagifem periodically. I do twice a week. I know it seems counterintuitive, but having periodic blasts of estrogen helps vaginal tissue maintenance without giving ER sensitive cancer cells the constant source they need to survive. Second, use vitamin e suppositories. This recommendation came from my ob/gyn.

Lucky girl Englishmummy! Tamoxifen acts like estrogen in some respects including stimulating the lining of the uterus and strengthening bones. A lot of women taking tamoxifen are perimenopausal which is when a lot of women would start having problems anyway, and some are going through chemopause, so it isn't always clear what is causing what. Unfortunately for us post menopausal women, an aromatase inhibitor just flat out cuts your estrogen down. I looked up the studies when I started taking it. At natural menopause, women's estrogen levels are cut approximately in half when the ovaries stop producing estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors prevent aromatase, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, from being transformed ultimately into estrogen. Since this pathway is the primary source of estrogen for post menopausal women, this cuts the level of estrogen in half again. It's particularly brutal for anyone using estrogen replacement before Dx.