Chemo Regimen FAQs: AC Chemotherapy

• Loss of fertility: Your ovaries will stop releasing eggs while you're having treatment. Whether or not you get your period back once you're done depends a lot on age: studies show about 60 percent of women over 40 will be permanently infertile (menopausal); while only 15 percent of women under 40 will remain infertile. You can place yourself on this continuum to get an idea of whether you might be done with your periods for good. "Chemical menopause" has all the possible range of symptoms of normal menopause, but condensed into a smaller timeframe. The bad news is, it's more intense. The good news is, you get through it faster!

• Chemo brain: This rather disheartening side effect is experienced by many women as they go through chemo. And in about 15 percent of women, it lingers for years. Imagine your brain is a blackboard: chemo brain is the eraser. Short-term memory loss and difficulty concentrating are its main characteristics. You may forget your best friend's name, your own phone number, or which way to turn a doorknob... any number of heretofore simple tasks are made more difficult, simply because you've (temporarily, hopefully) lost some short-term memory.

Until very recently, this side effect wasn't officially recognized, nor taken seriously. But now, as more and more women experience it, researchers are trying to figure out just what's going on, and how to provide relief. If you do run up against chemo brain, try not to stress; if it doesn't disappear pretty quickly once you finish chemo, it should lessen over time.

These are the most common side effects attached to AC chemo. You may have your very own (lucky you!); but whatever you experience, if it irritates you, be sure to ask your doctor for something to treat it.

Oh, and one more thing: Don't panic when your urine turns red! This will disappear within about 24 hours from treatment.