Chemo and its impact on menstrual cycles

Does anyone happen to know—and I’m really hoping nobody is answering this from personal experience...—how long it usually takes for your blood counts to get back to a normal range after chemo?

Karen Brown7 said:I guess I was wondering if anyone knows—hopefully not from personal experience—how long it typically takes for your cycle to get back to normal after chemo?

Hi there.
I went through chemo myself for breast cancer. Maybe if you tell me what you've been through, any medications you're taking, and how old you are, I might be able to help.

33 years old, wrapped up chemo about two weeks ago... dealing with Hodgkin... my last CT scan actually showed everything is backing off, which is such a relief. Right now I'm not really eating much of anything besides taking some Prilosec for my stomach

Karen Brown7 said:33 years old, finished chemo two weeks ago, Hodgkin. My last CT scan showed it's receding. I'm not taking anything except Prilosec for my stomach.

Oof. Well, if you aren't taking anything else, your cycle should normalize pretty quickly—unless there were issues before. I guess it usually takes a few months, maybe two or three, for everything to reset. That's what I was told. Mine is currently blocked due to hormone dependency, so I actually have surgery this Tuesday to remove my ovaries. Anyway, enough about me; I just wanted to say don't stress. Everything will settle down in its own time. Take care!

Thanks! Honestly, these menopause symptoms are driving me absolutely crazy—the hot flashes are definitely the worst part... I never used to deal with any of this, either. I was on Yasmin and everything was totally regular until I hit the halfway point of my chemo. My doctor actually suggested I might want to start some kind of hormone therapy just to speed things along, since there's a chance things might not just bounce back on their own... but I think I'd rather just wait a bit and see if everything settles down naturally 🤷

Karen Brown7 said:thanks! I guess my menopause symptoms are just getting to me—especially the hot flashes. Everything was fine before; I was on Yasmin and my cycle was regular until halfway through chemo. My doctor suggested hormone therapy to speed things up since there's a chance things might not return to normal, but I think I'll wait a bit to see if it settles down on its own. 🤷

Well, I’m probably not the best person to advise on hormone therapy. I had hormone-dependent breast cancer myself, and I never touched hormone pills back then—it just made things grow faster and spread to the lymph nodes. I’m actually heading to the hospital this Monday because I have surgery to remove my ovaries on Tuesday. I've been on estrogen tablets since I was 30, which essentially put me into menopause, and I'll be on them for five years. But now some ovarian cysts have started appearing, so the doctors suggest removing the ovaries to prevent the cancer from returning to either the breast or the ovaries, given how they're linked. It's all becoming a bit much, I suppose. We move forward, though. I know you have to be careful with hormones, but I guess the doctors know best. Personally, I suspect your period will return quite soon. As for me, the hot flashes and other nonsense are coming, since I'll officially be in menopause starting Tuesday. Being this young and feeling this old is something. At least I have my two kids. Anyway, enough rambling. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and hope everything turns out okay with your cycle.

Kenneth Smith8 said:Look, I’m definitely no expert when it comes to hormone therapy... I mean, I personally fought breast cancer that was hormone-driven, so I know the drill. I never touched hormone pills because, well, once things start growing too fast and turn malignant, they just spread through the lymph nodes... scary stuff. Anyway, I'm heading into the hospital this Monday because I have surgery on Tuesday to remove my ovaries. I've been on estrogen since I was 30, which basically forced me into early menopause, and now I'll be on them for five years... but some cysts started forming on my ovaries, so the doctors are suggesting we just take them out entirely. They want to make sure there's no chance of the cancer coming back to the breast or the ovaries, since they're all connected. Ugh, I am just so over all of this... but hey, life goes on. You have to be careful with hormones, but I guess the doctors know best, even though I have a feeling your period might come back pretty soon. As for me? I've got hot flashes and all that other crap waiting for me... because starting Tuesday, I'm officially in menopause. Being this young and feeling this old... man. Thank god I have my two kids. Anyway, I feel like I've rambled enough! I'm crossing my fingers for you and I know everything will turn out okay, and you'll be seeing your cycle again before you know it.

I am so incredibly sorry you're going through all of this.
I haven't actually started taking anything yet... I'm just waiting for everything to settle down first. But honestly, it feels like it's taking forever, and don't even get me started on how scared I am about the future... especially since we're trying to have a baby.

Karen Brown7 said:I'm sorry you're going through all of this.
I haven't started any medication yet; I suppose I'm waiting for things to stabilize on their own. But it feels like it's been a long road, and I guess I'm just worried about what the future holds since we're trying for a baby.

Everything will work out, just hang in there. Maybe stay positive and you'll have a little one before you know it.

Karen Brown7 said:Does anyone know—and I really hope this isn't based on personal experience—how long it actually takes for your cycle to get back to normal after chemo?

I really hope things have already started settling back into a routine for you, at least it shouldn't take too long 😉 but honestly, my message to all the other girls and women out there is this... don't let the fear of that specific issue get to you during chemo. I guess I was acting a little strange myself, going through treatments and then having my cycle show up right on schedule every single time... though I suppose it might actually be easier if it just skipped a month once in a while, rather than dealing with that awful sensation when you get your period and then have to head straight to your infusion appointment the very same day. It’s definitely not as simple as people make it out to be.....