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Menstural cycle 3 years after breast cancer

It has been just a little over 3 years since I went through breast cancer treatment.  I had chemo, radiation followed by Tamoxifen, which I'm still on.  During the chemo my menstral cycle stopped.  After a period of time I asked the dr if it would ever come back and he said it may not after this long.  Recently I started spotting, so called the dr and they said my cycle had probably started again since all my blood work had shown I was NOT post-meno.  They said this was not uncommon, but I guess it always makes a person wonder if something else is going on.  They are going to schedule an ultrasound just for peace of mind, but I was just wondering how common it is for the cycle to start up again after all this time?
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Avatar universal
Dear Signmecr:  Depending on the age of the woman and
her "natural" history, chemotherapy may cause
temporary or permanent menopause.  Further, this can
be difficult to define because during perimenopause,
the hormone levels can fluctuate dramatically,
appearing "menopausal" one month and appearing closer
to "normal" at other times.  Since it has been  three
years and you have been on tamoxifen, you should see a
gynecologist to be certan that this is, in fact,
menstrual bleeding.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
One of the risks of Tamoxifen use is an increased chance of developing endometrial cancer. So be certain to follow up on your bleeding, whether or not it is, in fact, menstrual. Not to scare you, but better to be safe. Good luck.
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