Medically Induced Menopause

My period returned about 10 months after chemo had ended. The farther away from true menopause you were before chemo began, (i.e. the younger you were), the highly likelihood it would return, is what my oncologist told me. I was 45 years old when diagnosed. My mother didn't finish menopause until she was 65. If I follow in her footsteps, true menopause for me is still a ways off. As for relief during chemo, I used Black Cohosh but didn't feel like it helped me personally. Keep in mind you may begin Tamoxifen as soon as chemo ends and the symptoms may continue and have nothing at all to do with chemo and everyting to do with Tamoxifen. I found I had more vaginal dryness, shrinkage on Tamoxifen, and obviously after chemo ended this became a real problem. Other intollerable side effects on Tamoxifen caused me to discontinue it after 5 1/2 months use. Exercise, Dr. Schwartz is correct, is key to battling some of the menopausal side effects of treatment. It helped more than anything I put in my mouth. Women should use personal fans (motor-operated) to keep down the hot sweats and night sweats. They should not take any estrogen-based drug to counter these symptoms if their cancer is ER positive. Take cooler showers and eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Keep the skin moist with some good moisturizing cream like Eucerin to avoid cracking skin. All these things do help.