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Tamoxifen and irregular periods

AlixJan
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Hello, 

I had breast cancer 7 years ago and I have been on tamoxifen since then. ( I had a double mastectomy)  I have been on Tamoxifen for all of this time and side effects have been minimal. The only thing that has happened is that my periods became very irregular.   I have not had a period of 18 months, and I assumed that I had gone through the menopause.  And then, after a long bike ride ( not sure if this relevant or not, ) - I had a normal period.  

I have been referred to see see a Gynaecology Oncology department, and this is making me extremely anxious.  I thought cancer was behind me.  Just trying to find some way to be a bit rational about this.. 

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you so much, 

Alex

  • Hi Alex and thanks for the post

    I am sorry to hear about your past treatment for breast cancer and to now have this unexpected bleed must be a concern.

    As worrying as this might be there could be many reasons for the bleed unrelated to the cancer. However it will only be further tests that may say the cause of this and if anything else needs to happen moving forward.

    Post menopausal bleeding is often caused by a thickening of the womb lining or polyps and these can also be caused by the tamoxifen itself.

    Sit tight for now as best you can and try and occupy your mind with other things whilst you wait.

    I assume you will have a pelvic ultrasound and some blood tests initially and the doctors will go from there.

    I hope everything turns out okay for you but in the meantime if you have more questions do get back in touch. If you would prefer to talk things through further with one of the nurses give us a call. The number is 0808 800 4040 and we're here weekdays 9-5.

    Best wishes

    Naomi

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