I am almost 50. Currently have gone 8 months without a period. Just prior to this, I went 10 months without followed by 2 months with. Recently had FSH and LH tested, 15.3 and 9.0, not in menopausal range. I was told it's because the tamoxifen is suppressing my cycles. I know that it blocks estrogen from getting into any breast cancer cells that may be sitting around, but how exactly does that affect what the other hormones and the ovaries are doing?
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Q: I've been on tamoxifen almost 2 years, started skipping periods 3 years ago.
Answers (1)
10/ 9/10 11:44am
Rose, I've never read or heard that tamoxifen suppresses production of estrogen; it simply prevents estrogen from binding to cancer cells. In face, women on tamoixfen are warned that they may be more fertile than normal. I'd assume that you're inching into menopause; not there yet, not enough for your FSH and LH to reflect it, but getting there gradually; thus the irregular nature of your periods.
Peri-menopause can be a long, slow process, longer for some women than others; and you may be on the far end of the scale. If your tests show you're not menopausal, then it's no good switching to an aromatase inhibitor; best to just stick with the tamoxifen.
The other possibility is there could be some other, non-tamoxifen issue going on here. Have you asked your gynecologist about anything else it might be? Any other tests you might need? It's probably tempting to simply point at tamoxifen, but who knows - could be something totally unrelated. Good luck - PJH
10/10/10 4:54pm
Hi - You might want to pose this questoin on our menopause site, OK? They might have more detailed information for you...
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By RoseG— Last Modified: 12/27/10, First Published: 10/08/10
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Thanks for your reply PJH, but both my Gyn and my Onc have said that it's most likely the tamoxifen suppressing menstruation, more so than the fact that I was already perimenopausal at the start. I thought my FSH would be sky high, due to having only 2 periods in the last 20 months, so I was quite surprised by those lab results. And I've heard that women who are still getting periods can have menopausal range FSH, so this is all very confusing to me. I don't understand why these tests are even done if they don't really tell you anything. What if I go 12 months with no period (official definition of postmenopause) and still have low levels. Would that mean that periods could still come back?