How common are extreme symptoms?
Meet the Experts
Debra Barton, Ph.D. is a nurse coordinator at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she directs clinical trials in cancer control and chemoprevention.
Dr. Charles Loprinzi is chairman of the division of medical oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of breast cancer, dedicated to developing programs that improve the well-being of women treated for breast cancer.
Question from Leeann: I've read that a percentage of women go through menopause without experiencing the more notorious symptoms, even without HRT. Is this also true for some women who are thrown into menopause because of breast cancer treatment?
- Answer —Charles Loprinzi, M.D.: About 80 percent of women who go through menopause do get hot flashes. Therefore, about 20 percent of women do not, as suggested by the question. There are some women with breast cancer who also never have trouble with hot flashes. It's probably a lower percentage, however, because we give some of these women tamoxifen and that causes hot flashes, and sometimes chemotherapy puts women into premature menopause and that increases the risk of hot flashes. There are not a lot of data to tell exactly how many women with breast cancer, however, don't get hot flashes.
On Wednesday, March 20, 2002, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Managing Menopausal Symptoms. Charles Loprinzi,M.D., Debra Barton, Ph.D., and Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. answered your questions about hot flashes, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, and other symptoms associated with menopause.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
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