Cancer treatments may cause early or intense menopause symptoms. Huntsman Cancer Institute provides individualized, evidence-based support to manage symptoms, improve comfort, and restore quality of life during survivorship for patients.
Read Time: 6 minutes
Takeaways:
- Menopause symptoms after cancer are common, real, and treatable—patients should not feel they must “tough it out.”
- Treatment is highly individualized, with both hormonal and nonhormonal options tailored to each patient’s medical history and comfort.
Impact: Through specialized clinics and supportive care programs, Huntsman Cancer Institute helps survivors navigate menopause with confidence, improving comfort, healing, and quality of life after cancer.
Menopause can bring a wave of physical and emotional changes—and for people with cancer, those changes can start earlier or feel more intense. Treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and/or endocrine therapy can trigger menopause or menopause-like symptoms, leaving patients wondering what’s normal, what’s manageable, and what’s safe when it comes to treatment options.
Kristianna Kundrat, DNP, women’s health nurse practitioner and provider for the Sexual Health and Wellbeing Clinic at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, helps patients navigate menopause symptoms, manage side effects, and regain a sense of comfort and confidence in their bodies after cancer.
Kundrat is passionate about helping people feel like themselves again after treatment and specializes in empowering patients to talk openly about sexual health, menopause, and quality of life—topics that can be difficult to bring up but are key to healing.
Let’s start with the basics—what causes menopause or menopause-like symptoms for people being treated for cancer?
Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and medications, including endocrine therapy, can put someone into menopause or further exacerbate these symptoms. For individuals under 40, sometimes these treatments can lead to premature ovarian failure.
What kinds of menopausal symptoms do you most often hear about from your patients?
Hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, weight gain especially around the midsection, cognition changes, and vaginal dryness are very common.
How can these symptoms affect daily life or recovery after cancer treatment?
If you are experiencing bothersome menopause symptoms in addition to undergoing or recovering from cancer treatment, this can delay your healing and recovery process. For example, if you’re having bothersome hot flashes, you’re probably not sleeping well and waking up at night, leading to worsening fatigue and stress. Managing menopause symptoms can make a big difference in energy levels, mood, and overall quality of life.
What are some nonhormonal ways to manage menopause symptoms?
Exercise, nutrition, stress management, acupuncture, yoga, pelvic floor physical therapy, and the POWER program are all things our patients can access through the Linda B. and Robert B. Wiggins Wellness and Integrative Health Center.
At the Midlife Women’s Health & Menopause Program, we can also prescribe nonhormonal medications that can reduce or alleviate menopause symptoms. For example, some antidepressants can greatly reduce the number of hot flashes someone may experience due to menopause.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can help patients manage both the emotional and physical changes of menopause. For intimacy concerns, we often recommend working with a certified sex therapist. The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) is a great resource for finding qualified professionals.
Can people with a history of cancer safely use hormone therapy to manage menopause symptoms?
It depends and is individualized! Some people with a history of cancer can use hormone therapy, while for others, we recommend against it based on their cancer type. If hormone therapy isn’t right for you—or you prefer to avoid it—we have many other ways to help. We tailor treatment for each patient specific to what’s bothering each patient most.
When might hormone therapy be an option? And when is it best to avoid it?
Hormone therapy can be an option if a patient’s cancer is not hormonally sensitive, but every patient’s treatment is individualized, and we can always have a discussion around hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is beneficial for people who have a genetic mutation and who have undergone risk-reducing surgeries but haven’t had cancer.
The best time to start hormone therapy is within 10 years of menopause or before age 60. Starting treatment later increases risks, so we review each patient’s full medical history and discuss what’s safest and most effective for them.
What should someone talk about with their oncology or survivorship team before starting menopause treatment?
It’s important to talk with your oncologist before coming to our clinic to see if hormone therapy is an option for you. If it is not, no worries! As discussed previously, we have other options and treatments!
Menopause is becoming more of a topic of discussion, and we want patients to know this is part of survivorship and something they deserve support for.
What message do you want people to take away about managing menopause after cancer?
You don’t have to suffer. We see people with difficult, even debilitating symptoms. There are treatments available, and we want to have that conversation. Our goal is to improve quality of life and help every patient feel like themselves again.
If you’re experiencing menopause symptoms during or after cancer treatment, you don’t have to go through it alone. The Sexual Health and Wellbeing Clinic at Huntsman Cancer Institute offers specialized care to address menopausal changes, sexual health, and overall quality of life.
Call 801-587-4585 or talk to your provider to schedule an appointment.