Menopause and Tamoxifen?

[Novi]

I am 53 years old.  In January of 2002 I started taking Tamoxifen after having been treated for breast cancer. I had one period in January and then had a few weeks of very minimal bleeding daily (more like consistent spotting). Upon seeing my gynocologist, I had an endometrial biopsy. That was negative. In March ( after a total of 8 weeks of spotting)I took a progestin for one month. I had one more period in mid April 2002 and never had another one to date.  My gynocologist tells me that I do not have to worry about using birth control if I have not had a period for a year.  My question is: could the tamoxifen have caused me to cease having periods for 1 year?  Can I be confident that my Doctor is correct and that I am, in fact, menopausal and do not need to use birth control at this point?  Please advise.

Thanks, Novi

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear Novi, The closer you are to natural menopause the more likely that Tamoxifen may have helped to speed up that process.  Menopause is usually defined by the absence of periods for a year.

[ritavv]

If you are unsure about the advisability of stopping birth control, you might ask the doctor to take a blood test for estrogen and FSH levels.  I am 52, almost 53.  I started Tamoxifen 2 years ago March.  My last period was in April of that year.  However, over the months I developed ovarian cysts.  It turns out my estrogen and FSH levels showed that I was at almost continual ovulation levels.  I am now on Lupron to truely shut down my ovaries.  If your levels are low, you can be more certain of your status.