Femara and vaginal bleeding ??

BonnieT · 02-19-2009, 11:08 AM

Hello
It has been awhile since I have posted anything, but I love reading and helping when I can. Chemo put me into menopause 5 years ago, and I haven't had a period since.
I was on Tamaxifen until about a year ago, when my blood tests came back that I was post menopause. I am 44 years old , and have been on the Femara for almost a year. I started having vaginal bleeding a week ago. I had a vaginal ultrasound done , and I have 2 small cysts on my ovary which they thought could be normal if I am now back to pre menopause. But I just got my lab results and I am still post menopause. I will be seeing an obgyn Dr. . Wondering if anyone has had this complication and what tests were done ???
I would be celebrating my 5th year cancer free this May, but now I am not so sure I will !!!
I would be grateful for any advice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANKS
BonnieT

Becky · 02-19-2009, 11:26 AM

What bloodwork was run to determine that you are postmenopausal - just LH and FSH. Was estradiol done and was it done a couple of days in a row?

This is exactly what happened to me (and I was 46 then so a similar age). I was on Tamoxifen but knew AIs were better. I got the bloodwork done and I was in post menopausal (did not have estradial done but didn't get my menses). Switched over to Armidex and whala... started bleeding. Later I learned my estradial was above the postmenopausal level but too low to get a period. Secondly, if you google Femara and infertility, you will learn that in a pre or perimenopausal woman, it can stimulate the ovaries to induce ovulation. I too had 2 cystlike structures on my (left) ovary. The technician said the same thing to me as you were told. She also told me she thought I had ovarian activity. A month after this, I had an oophorectomy. The cysts were not cysts - they were ovulations that acted alittle weird (they filled with blood and kept filling with blood - my gyne said it was because I "awakened" and it was an abnormal ovulation and I might/might now have normalized.

My advice - talk to your medical team to get to the bottom of this. Get your estradiol levels taken a couple of times to insure post menopausal status. Get another ultrasound of the ovaries and uterus (was the lining of the uterus's thickness in the normal range)?

You need to know because if you are coming out of menopause, you are not protected by Femara so you need to think about going back on Tamoxifen, an ooph or something to silence the ovaries.

I hope this helps

BonnieT · 02-19-2009, 12:18 PM

Becky
Thanks for the quick reply, it is nice to know I am not the only one going thru this !!
Yes, I had my Estradiol checked it was <10 , it was also checked a year ago, do you think I should have it checked in a couple of days also ??
I am actually thinking about a hysterectomy , and just get rid of everything !!
the lining was thickened , my Oncologist thought for sure I was coming out of menopause, I even has PMS before I started bleeding !
BonnieT