Menstrual cycle during chemotherapy is messy, is it normal?

Until recently chemotherapy was the most reliable way to treat cancer. However, this cancer treatment can have several negative effects on the body, such as blackened skin, hair loss, and weight loss. One of the common side effects in women is the change in menstrual cycles after chemotherapy and while the treatment is underway. Then normally it happens and will it return to normal?

Research: menstrual cycles when chemotherapy is irregular due to drugs

Chemotherapy is a treatment that is usually recommended in cancer patients. This procedure is performed by killing rapidly growing cancer cells. Even so, chemotherapy can disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle. This has been proven in studies showing that as many as 44 out of 66 women who were on chemotherapy due to breast cancer, did not have regular menstruation.

An abnormal menstrual cycle is characterized by a change in the cycle, time, or duration of menstruation that is different than usual. In this study, it was found that within a year after chemotherapy, 36 women experienced abnormal menstrual cycles and 20 people experienced no menstruation (amenorrhea) for three consecutive months, or even more.

Most of the chemotherapy drugs can interfere with the reproductive system of women but in this study the drugs that were shown to cause menstruation when chemotherapy was irregular were methotrexate and doxorubicin. Some evidence suggests that higher chemotherapy doses may be associated with menstrual problems in women. However, Elsye E. Lower MD, an oncologist in America stated that this study has not been able to clearly determine whether this is the only factor that influences the changes in the menstrual cycle after chemotherapy and while treatment is ongoing.

Why is the menstrual cycle during chemotherapy so irregular?

Chemotherapy is indeed one of the effective treatments for cancer. Unfortunately, this procedure can damage some of the eggs in your ovaries and can cause your menstrual cycle to become irregular or stop altogether. So it is normal for the menstrual cycle during and after chemotherapy to be messy. This also depends on the dose and type of drug given during chemotherapy.

Experts say that when a woman has not had her period for a full year, this is usually the first sign that her menstrual cycle will end. If menstruation during chemotherapy becomes irregular or even stops completely after treatment, you should immediately consult a doctor. Usually this condition will be treated by doing hormone therapy.

Irregular menstruation can affect women's health in general. The reason is, experts state that women have a higher risk of heart disease and osteoporosis associated with early menopause symptoms.

Age can be a factor in menstruation after chemotherapy is messy

Usually, the menstrual cycle after chemotherapy will return to normal after you leave treatment. However, there are other factors that affect whether or not you will have your period again after treatment. The age factor really determines this. When viewed from age, the menstrual cycle after chemotherapy will be like this:

Women who are under 40 years of age, usually more often experience temporary menstrual disorders. This means that the menstrual cycle will return to regularity several months or several years after chemotherapy ends.
Women who are over 40 years of age usually experience permanent menstrual disorders more often. In fact, can experience premature menopause compared to other women.

Premenopausal women (not yet menopausal) usually still have the possibility of being fertile because their menstrual cycles will usually return. However, women who are nearing menopause usually lose their fertility due to the menstrual cycle which has mostly stopped.