Living with breast cancer
Breast cancer treatments that cause menopause symptoms or an early include:
drugs that block or lower the amount of hormones in the body (hormone therapy)
chemotherapy
surgery to remove your ovaries
Hormone therapies cause menopause symptoms, but these might be temporary. The symptoms are likely to start very quickly.
Some women have already been through the menopause. But their treatment can cause symptoms similar to the menopause.
If your chemotherapy causes your menopause it might be temporary or permanent.
If you are close to the natural age of menopause when you have your treatment, your periods are less likely to come back. Your doctor might be able to suggest what will happen in your situation. But it will be difficult to know for sure.
If you have surgery to remove your ovaries, your menopause will be permanent.
Symptoms that are related to low levels include:
hot flushes and sweats
night sweats
anxiety, low mood and mood change
feeling very tired (fatigue) and poor sleep
loss of interest in sex
problems with thinking, concentration and memory – sometimes called brain fog
joint pains and muscle aches and you may have thinning and weakening of the bones (osteoporosis) over time
headaches and worsening migraines
itching, irritation or dryness of your vulva or vagina
vaginal pain or discomfort during sex
vaginal bleeding after sex
urinary problems such as needing to wee urgently, infection or incontinence
Your might be affected by your cancer treatment. This means you may no longer be able to have children naturally. This loss of fertility can be upsetting even if you have a family or did not intend to have children.
Whether this happens to you depends on different factors. For example, your age and the cancer treatment you have had. Speak to your healthcare team if this is a concern for you. They can explain how likely this is in your situation.
Some women who experience menopause symptoms can still get pregnant. So you may still need to use contraception.
Get more information on coping with losing your fertility
It can be hard to know whether your symptoms are side effects of your cancer and its treatment. Or whether they relate to a natural menopause. It might help to keep a diary or make a list of your symptoms. You can discuss these with your cancer doctor, breast care nurse, GP or general practice nurse.
You can ask your GP surgery if there is a GP that specialises in the menopause. In some situations, your GP may refer you to a specialist menopause clinic or a gynaecologist.
Many women in the UK use to reduce menopausal symptoms. But doctors don't routinely recommend using HRT after breast cancer.
The concern is that HRT could increase the risk of your breast cancer coming back (recurrence). The risk is uncertain because research so far has not drawn any firm conclusions. This might depend on the type of HRT and how long you have it.
This risk might depend on:
the type of HRT
how long you have HRT
when you start it
your type of breast cancer
The risk is thought to be greater in women:
whose breast cancer has receptors for the female hormones - hormone receptor positive breast cancer
who use HRT that contains oestrogen and progestogen (combined HRT)
It’s important that you talk to a health professional if you are finding menopausal symptoms difficult to cope with. Ideally you should speak to your cancer doctor as well as a doctor that specialises in the menopause.
Your healthcare team might suggest that you try other things first, such as non hormonal medicines. But they may offer you HRT if your symptoms are very severe or don’t respond to other treatments. Your doctor should discuss the risks and benefits of the different types of HRT with you.
There are other ways of reducing symptoms if you can't use HRT or choose not to.
There are a range of other treatments and things you can do to help cope. You may need to try different things before you find something that works for you. And you might find that a combination of things is better than one.
We have information about ways to cope with symptoms such as:
hot flushes and sweats
vaginal dryness and loss of interest in sex
problems sleeping
bone loss
It is important to speak to your healthcare team if you are considering trying any herbal treatments or supplements. Some are not recommended for women with breast cancer. Others might effect the way your cancer treatment works.
For some women, HRT is the only way to completely stop of menopausal symptoms.
Go to coping with sex hormone symptoms in women
It can be hard to come to terms with your diagnosis at the same time as coping with menopause symptoms. It might help to talk to family and friends and share how your symptoms are making you feel. Try to make some time for yourself. Some people practice breathing or relaxation techniques, or mindfulness. And some people find counselling and support groups helpful.
It might help to let someone in your workplace know if you are finding menopause symptoms difficult. It makes sense to talk to your manager first. It might be useful if some of your colleagues know as well. This all depends on how comfortable you feel about sharing what you are going through.
If possible, small adaptions to your work could help. For example, flexibility of your hours, working from home, positioning your desk near a window or nearer to the toilet.
Information is available about menopause in the workplace. You can find resources on government, union and charity websites.
Go to resources and support for breast cancer
Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.
‘I’m still on medication… this causes early menopause that’s not been fun but coping well now.’
Last reviewed: 11 Aug 2026
Next review due: 10 Aug 2029
Getting practical, physical and emotional support can help you to cope with a diagnosis of breast cancer. It can also help you with life during and after treatment.
Treatment for breast cancer depends on a number of factors. The main treatments are surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted and immunotherapy drugs.
You may find it difficult coping with a diagnosis of breast cancer both practically and emotionally. There are things you can do and people who can help you to cope with your diagnosis.
Hormone therapy can lower the levels of sex hormones in your body. This can cause hot flushes and sweats.
Some cancer treatments can affect the levels of sex hormones. This can cause a range of different symptoms. But there are things you can do and treatments to help you cope with these changes.
Breast cancer is cancer that starts in the breast tissue. It’s the most common cancer in the UK. It mainly affects women, but men can get it too.
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