""It really hurts to have sex," I told my doctor. "Like, a lot." I was sitting in a hospital gown on the exam table at my family practitioner's office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was the same table where I'd sat through both of my pregnancies and where, three years earlier, I'd been diagnosed with breast cancer. "I'm so sorry," my doctor said. "I know how it feels to go through menopause. Especially since you went through it overnight.""
"My treatment consisted of a mastectomy, reconstruction surgery and 10 years of targeted hormone therapy - to kill the estrogen in my body and lower my risk of recurrent cancer. The goal of these hormone treatments - for pre-menopausal women - is to slingshot you through menopause. It worked. Within a matter of weeks, I went from being a healthy 37-year-old menstruating woman, to a hot-flashing, bone-aching, post-menopausal cancer survivor."
A 37-year-old woman experienced abrupt menopause after targeted hormone therapy following breast cancer treatment. The treatment included mastectomy, reconstruction surgery, and a decade of estrogen-suppressing therapy intended to lower recurrence risk. Menopause occurred within weeks, causing hot flashes, bone pain, and vaginal atrophy that produced constant discomfort and painful intercourse. Postoperative breasts appeared firmer while vaginal tissues became markedly atrophied. Medical consultation confirmed that menopause often makes successful intercourse difficult and suggested exploring vaginal rejuvenation as a potential option. The clinical timeline combined early cancer detection and effective breast treatment with significant quality-of-life consequences from induced menopause.
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