Maggie’s Cambridge

Supporting women with medically induced menopause at Maggie’s Cambridge

You may think menopause is something that happens to you in your 50s, but that is not always the case. Our centre head, Lisa Punt, shares how support can really help women deal with the triple impact of cancer diagnosis, treatment and induced menopause. Lisa manages the Menopause Workshop and says: “We support women with cancer who experience a treatment induced menopause through a virtual or in person workshop. The two-hour workshop offers practical information alongside the opportunity to meet other people in a similar position.” The areas we cover are: • What symptoms to expect including hot flushes/night sweats, heart health, bone health, genito-urinary changes, libido, low mood • How to manage symptoms and optimise well-being including medical and non-medical intervention • Relationship changes • Psychological changes. It is important that possible changes are discussed as part of the consent process but the time at which more detail is helpful can vary from one person to the next. At Maggie’s we run the workshop every two to three weeks so people are able to access the information at a time that feels right for them.

What does induced menopause mean?

If you have had your ovaries removed or are on medication that has stopped your ovaries from working, you will experience surgical or medically induced menopause.

Key facts:

- Surgical menopause is when you have your ovaries removed due to cancer or to reduce the risk of certain hormone sensitive tumours - Medical induced menopause is due to medication This may be chemotherapy or anti-oestrogen therapy such as tamoxifen - Radiotherapy to the pelvis may also cause an induced menopause - Levels of oestrogen drop off much quicker following an induced menopause as compared to a natural menopause - Induced menopause can be permanent or temporary, depending on your diagnosis and the type of treatment - It can be very distressing if you are going through a diagnosis, significant treatment, and then need to deal with menopause symptoms - Induced menopause symptoms can be more intense for women who are premenopausal - There are over 34 menopause symptoms, and you may get some or many of these - A woman’s menopause is completely unique. One lady summed it up perfectly by saying: “You get hit with a cancer diagnosis and then the menopause comes along. The two are as big as each other but all you get is sympathy for cancer and how awful it is. Yes, I should be grateful my cancer has gone and I’ve had my treatment but here I am dealing with menopause, something that I would not normally be dealing with at my time of life.” To find out more about The Menopause Workshop or to speak with Lisa, email cambridge@maggies.org or call 01223 249 220.