Can Chemotherapy Trigger The Menopause?

As if having cancer and going through chemotherapy wasn’t hard enough, there are a whole host of things that chemotherapy can cause. That’s right – the treatment for cancer can cause you further health problems. It’s one of the reasons medical professionals will talk to you for a long time about your options and the side effects of each one. Because cancer is a tough thing to beat, and the treatments to do it often aren’t that nice. You’ve probably heard of a lot of the common side-effects to chemo already – hair loss, nausea, weight loss, tiredness. But you might not have heard of one of them – early menopause.

What is Early Menopause?

During natural menopause, the ovaries gradually reduce the amount of these hormones they produce over several years, eventually stopping altogether. This usually happens to women between the ages of 45 and 55. It’s by no means a pleasant thing to go through, but it is natural, and the body knows how to manage the process. We also know a lot about it, making it easier to treat with hormone replacement therapies or other medications.

Early menopause is a bit different. It’s usually triggered by something that causes your ovaries to react badly and suddenly stop releasing hormones. There are a few things that can do this, including:

• A family history of early menopause

• Certain autoimmune conditions

• Some genetic conditions

• Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)

• Diseases like HIV/Aids

• Starting your periods early (before 8 years old)

• Smoking

• Being underweight

Essentially, all of these things cause your hormones to do strange things, including the hormones your ovaries make. And when your ovaries aren’t making enough, or any, progesterone and oestrogen, the menopause starts.

Why Can Chemo Trigger Early Menopause?

Essentially, because chemotherapy drugs can stop the ovaries from working properly. It can damage them, stop them from producing oestrogen and progesterone, or in some cases simple stop them from doing anything at all. Different cancer treatments can affect the ovaries in different ways, including starting the early menopause. For example:

• Chemotherapy

• Surgery to remove both ovaries

• Radiotherapy to the pelvis

• Hormonal treatments for breast cancer

Can all trigger the early menopause, because they all have a direct impact on your ovaries.

The Effects of Early Menopause

Early menopause is quite a shock to the system. Unlike regular menopause, which comes on gradually as your body prepares for the next stage in life, early menopause comes out of the blue, giving your body no chance to prepare. This means the symptoms can be more severe and last for longer (years or more). It’s a physically and emotionally draining process. Some of the symptoms of early menopause include:

• Suddenly stopped periods

• Hot flashes

• Night sweats

• Anxiety, low mood and mood changes

• Feeling very tired

• Sleeping poorly

• Problems with thinking, concentration and memory (sometimes called brain fog)

• Loss of interest in sex

• Joint pains and muscle aches

• Osteoporosis (thinning and weakening of the bones)

• Headaches and migraines

• Itching, irritation or dryness of your vulva or vagina

• Vaginal pain or discomfort during sex

• Vaginal bleeding after sex

• Urinary problems, like needing to wee urgently, infection or incontinence

You may experience some of these symptoms, none or all of them, or the symptoms you experience might change over time.

Another thing that chemotherapy can impact is your fertility. Because chemotherapy can affect the ovaries, it can cause issues with fertility, meaning you might not be able to have children naturally after chemotherapy. Depending on your age and circumstances this can be devastating, even if you have a family or didn’t intend to have children. It’s a choice you had that has been taken away from you. The likelihood of this happening depends on your age, the type of cancer you have and the type of chemotherapy you’re being given. This is one of the reasons many women opt to have some eggs frozen before starting chemo – to preserve that choice.

The good news is, there are ways to manage menopausal symptoms, no matter what the cause. The NHS has some excellent resources available, and your cancer team and GP are both on hand to help. And if you need a short break to think, process and plan, get in touch with the team at Jill’s Fundraising Journey to book your free holiday.