Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy can suppress the ovaries and trigger menopausal symptoms or menopause. Sometimes, these symptoms go away after treatment and a woman’s monthly cycle resumes. Depending on your age and specific case, treatment-induced menopause can be permanent.
Common symptoms include:
- Hot flashes (Strategies to manage hot flashes include: exercise, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, nonhormonal medications)
- Joint stiffness (Helped by exercise)
- Vaginal dryness (Helped by lubricants, vaginal moisturizers, Mona Lisa ® touch laser)
- Vaginal discharge (Normal if there is no odor or color)
- Fatigue (Helped by exercise and sleep)
- Bone loss (Helped by weight-bearing exercise and adequate calcium.)
- Insomnia (Helped by sleep routine)
- Mood changes, worsening depression (Please inform your care team right away about thoughts of harming yourself or others)
- Weight changes (Helped by exercise and diet)
- Libido changes
Published June 2019
Stanford Health Care © 2019