094 - Breast cancer treatments induced my menopause: what help is there now? - Caroline and Dr Louise Newson
The Dr Louise Newson Podcast
Dr Louise Newson
4.7 • 935 Ratings
🗓️ 12 April 2021
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Just before her 40th birthday, Caroline was given the unexpected diagnosis of breast cancer. The grueling treatments brought on the menopause and she endured a miserable seven years as a 'functional wreck'. Nine years on, Caroline reflects on this experience. She describes her search for help for the awful menopausal symptoms that were making her feel so unlike her usual, outgoing self and shares how she came to the decision to take HRT, despite being surrounded by advice to the contrary. Dr Newson outlines the complex and little understood relationship between breast cancer and estrogen, and reminds listeners that once accurate information is shared, the choice about menopause treatments after breast cancer ultimately belongs to the individual.
Caroline's three tips:
- Keep an honest record of how you are really feeling and look back on it. If you notice menopausal symptoms and you're just getting through the day, see your doctor. If they suggest antidepressants, don't agree straight away, find out more about how effective they are for menopausal women.
- Talk to someone who specialises in the menopause, even better, someone who treats menopausal women who've had breast cancer. Then you know you're getting gold standard information.
- Don't beat yourself up if all you're worried about is the cancer coming back. It's normal to feel like that. But also allow yourself the possibility of a better, brighter future. You need to know there is hope and help out there - you deserve it.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Neuson Health Menopause podcast. I'm Dr. Louise Newson, a GP and menopause |
| 0:15.8 | specialist and I'm also the founder of the Menopause charity. In addition, I run the Newston Health Menopause and Well-Being Clinic here in Stratford-upon-Avon. |
| 0:32.0 | So today on this podcast, I have with me someone who's very keen and willing to share her story, |
| 0:37.2 | which I think is really |
| 0:38.2 | important because we learn more from other women actually than often people do from healthcare |
| 0:43.1 | professionals. And this lady Caroline, who I'm going to introduce in a minute, has had breast |
| 0:48.3 | cancer and breast cancer now affects one in seven women. When I was a medical student in the |
| 0:53.3 | 80s, it affects one in 12 women. So it was a medical student in the 80s, it affect one in 12 women. |
| 0:55.4 | So it's becoming more common and it's more common. We don't always know why, but often it's |
| 1:00.4 | lifestyle factors that are increasing risk. And we now know obesity is the commonest cause of all cancers and |
| 1:07.5 | probably breast cancer as well. But as you know, people who are listening, every |
| 1:13.1 | woman will go through the menopause. So this means every woman who's had breast cancer will |
| 1:18.0 | either go through the menopause naturally or quite frequently go through the menopause |
| 1:22.5 | either temporarily or permanently because of treatments. And a lot of these women actually |
| 1:27.0 | really get neglected. And I feel very sad about a lot of these women actually really get neglected. |
| 1:28.3 | And I feel very sad about a lot of women who are menopausal, but I especially feel sad for women |
| 1:33.6 | who have breast cancer. So thank you, Caroline, for agreeing to record this podcast. Not at all. |
| 1:40.4 | Thank you, Louise, for having me on. I feel really passionately about sharing my story, |
| 1:44.7 | actually. Oh, thank you. So can you just tell me a bit about everything, if you don't mind? |
| 1:50.8 | That would be really useful. Yeah, that's fine. So in 2012, it was just before my 40th birthday, |
| 1:58.3 | and I decided to check my breasts, and I hadn't done that for a while actually. |
| 2:03.7 | I had two young children. They were three and seven at the time and yeah, I just checked them one day |
... |
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