Nancy Jill's Cancer Alphabet: M

M is for menopause. Yesterday I alluded to the fact that some drugs used to treat breast cancer can only be given to menopausal women. These are the aromatase inhibitors and the CDK 4/6 inhibitors that are used for women with metastatic disease who have progression on aromatase inhibitors alone. I know this is a little technical but stick with me. If a woman needs these drugs to treat her cancer, and she isn’t already in menopause she is put into menopause either with medical ovarian suppression or surgery to remove her ovaries. This happens to women of any age who must be put into menopause. Women as young as their 20s. Women who have not had children or who haven’t had all the children that they wanted. Induced menopause might follow a bilateral mastectomy. I want you to think about being 27 or 37 or even 47 and having your breasts and ovaries removed. This is the reality of many breast cancer patients. This is not glamorous or pink or pretty. Sudden menopause is hard especially for young women suffering from hot flashes, vaginal dryness and atrophy, thinning hair and belly fat. Some are young mothers with small children and partners. Sudden menopause is hard for women of any age, of course. In addition, younger women often have aggressive cancer. Breast cancer is a hard, hard thing to have. It never really ends. #metavivor #thisisnotpink #pinktober