Breast cancer treatment can cause menopause symptoms due to the way certain therapies affect the ovaries. Studies have shown that 25% of women who develop breast cancer are not postmenopausal, which indicates that cancer therapy may lead patients to enter menopause sooner than they would have otherwise.
Learn about what causes menopause symptoms after breast cancer treatment and how you can find relief.
What breast cancer treatments can cause menopause symptoms?
Cancer therapies that can cause menopausal symptoms include:
- Chemotherapy and pelvic radiation, which can cause concomitant ovarian damage
- Surgeries performed for breast cancer metastasis in the liver, which can affect the eggs and fallopian tubes
- Hormone medications used to treat breast cancer following surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy, such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors
Treatments may trigger temporary menopause symptoms that eventually subside eventually, although surgery often leads to permanent symptoms.
7 ways to manage menopause symptoms after breast cancer
1. Diet
Eating a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables can help you cope with menopause symptoms such as fatigue and moodiness. Foods and supplements that contain soy, red clover, and black cohosh have phytoestrogens, which are estrogen-like compounds that may help alleviate menopausal symptoms.
2. Exercise
Engaging in regular physical activity for at least 30 minutes each day can help reduce stress, boost mood, and help you better manage menopause symptoms.
3. Supplements
During and after menopause, it is crucial to get adequate calcium and vitamin D to counteract the loss of bone density. If you have entered menopause, you should consume at least 1,000 mg of calcium per day. If you are over 70, you should take 1,300 mg per day.
4. Medications for hot flashes
Medications that do not have any hormone properties that can help ease menopause symptoms such as hot flashes include:
5. Treatment for vaginal dryness
There are several non-hormonal therapies that can help alleviate vaginal dryness, including vaginal moisturizers, lubricants, and gels. If they do not work, low-dose hormonal rings, pills, capsules, or lotions applied directly to the vagina may work.
Devices that use lasers or other types of energy to rejuvenate vaginal tissue are currently being studied, but it is unclear how beneficial they may be. Before choosing these therapies, you should discuss the potential risks with your doctor.
6. Relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques, cognitive behavioral therapy, or yoga can be beneficial in helping with mood swings related to menopause.
7. Sleep hygiene
Many women have trouble sleeping during menopause for a variety of reasons, including hot flashes, nocturnal sweats, and anxiety. Avoiding alcohol, caffeinated beverages, and late-night snacks can help with sleep disruption.
QUESTION
If menopause occurs in a woman younger than ___ years, it is considered to be premature. See AnswerWhat are common menopause symptoms?
When menopause occurs unexpectedly as a result of cancer therapy, symptoms may be worse. Menopause symptoms range from moderate to severe and may include:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Dry skin
- Vaginal dryness
- Loss of libido
- Mood swings
- Difficulty sleeping
- Osteoporosis
- Body aches
- Increased urine frequency
- Weight gain
- Difficulty concentrating
Can breast cancer treatment lead to infertility?
If you are of reproductive age and on medical treatment for breast cancer, you may experience symptoms similar to those of a premenopausal period. This is because cancer treatment may cause the following:
- Reduced egg quantity
- Reduced egg quality
- Altered pituitary gland function and reduced hormone release
- Changes to the womb, cervix, and other parts of the reproductive system
Receiving breast cancer treatment does not mean that you have become infertile, however. You can choose to freeze your eggs and undergo other treatments to ensure that you can have a child after cancer treatment is complete. However, doctors recommend waiting 6 months to 5 years before trying to get pregnant so that your body has time to get rid of the toxic metabolites that may have accumulated during treatment.
7 things to know about menopause and breast cancer: https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/7-things-to-know-about-menopause-and-breast-cancer.h00-159306990.html
Menopausal Hormone Therapy After Breast Cancer: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/living-as-a-breast-cancer-survivor/menopausal-hormone-therapy-after-breast-cancer.html
Top Managing Menopause Symptoms After Breast Cancer Related Articles
Tips to Ease Menopause Symptoms
What happens during menopause? At what age do menopause symptoms start? Women in their 40s or 50s may begin to have hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep problems as they enter menopause. See what triggers some menopause symptoms. Get tips for relief through treatment.
Breast Cancer Follow-Up Self-Exam
A breast cancer follow-up self-exam is a test that may help a woman detect a recurrence of the disease. A woman should perform a monthly self-exam of both breasts as well as attend scheduled follow-up appointments to detect any breast cancer recurrence early. Lymph node involvement, tumor size, hormone receptor status, histologic grade, nuclear grade, and oncogene expression help determine the likelihood of a recurrence.
Breast Cancer in Children
Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer globally. It is mostly seen in women, whereas men are rarely affected. Breast tumors are occasionally seen in children and are mostly benign (noncancerous) and thought to be harmless. Breast lumps in children are known as fibroadenomas, and girls are more likely to develop these tumors. There is no standard staging of breast cancer in children.
Breast Cancer Slides
Learn about breast cancer causes, symptoms, tests, recovery, and prevention. Discover the types of treatments such as surgery and drug therapies as well as the survival rate for breast cancer.
What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor About Breast Cancer?
A diagnosis of breast cancer can be overwhelming, so it's important to write down all your questions before meeting with your doctor.
Breast Cancer Quiz
This Breast Cancer Quiz features signs, symptoms, facts, causes, common forms, terms, risk factors, statistics, and more. Increase your awareness of breast cancer now!
What Should I Know About Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer of American women, but it can also occur in men. Every year in the U.S., there are over 266,000 new diagnoses of breast cancer. A woman has a risk of one in eight for developing breast cancer at some point during her lifetime.
Can Early Menopause Cause Breast Cancer?
Early menopause does not cause breast cancer. An increasing age, and not menopause, can increase your breast cancer risk.
Does Menopause Make You More Sensitive to Pain?
Menopause can make you more sensitive to pain due to hormonal fluctuations, especially changes in estrogen levels. Here are 12 ways to manage pain during menopause.
Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer
Intensive genetic counseling is required before undergoing genetic tests for breast cancer. During this educational counseling session, the health care provider can fully explain the benefits and risks of genetic testing and answer any questions you may have. You will also be required to sign a consent form prior to participating in any genetic tests. The form is an agreement between you and your doctor, showing that you have discussed the test and how its results might affect your family.
Menopause
Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop, also called the "change of life." Menopause symptoms and signs include hot flashes, night sweats, irregular vaginal bleeding, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, weight gain, and emotional symptoms such as mood swings. Treatment of menopausal symptoms varies and should be discussed with your physician.
Menopause Quiz
The Menopause Quiz challenges your knowledge about the time in a woman’s life when menstruation ceases. Menopause can bring many physical, mental and sexual challenges to maturing women, but they don’t have to be limiting. Take the Menopause Quiz to learn the causes, symptoms and treatments of what’s known as "the change of life."
What Are the 40 Symptoms of Menopause?
Menopause is the end of the reproductive era of a woman's life that is characterized by drastic changes in her emotional and physical aspects. Studies have identified around 40 signs and symptoms of menopause, but not every woman gets all of them.
Why Is Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Common?
Most postmenopausal women are diagnosed with breast cancer due to weakening immune systems and the cumulative amount of exposure to estrogen over the years.
Women's Health: Myths About Menopause
Menopause myths tell you that hormones make you irritable, your sex life is over, and weight gain is inevitable. Get the facts about menopause.