Induced menopause
- 04 Dec 2023
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Induced menopause
- Updated on 04 Dec 2023
- 1 Minute to read
- Print
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Suspect an induced menopause in women with menopausal symptoms and no or infrequent periods who have had a medical treatment that can suppress or remove the activity of the ovaries (consider whether the woman has a uterus).
Examples of treatments that can cause an induced menopause include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, aromatase inhibitors and GnRH analogues.
• If the woman is aged 40–44 years, this will cause an early menopause.
• If the woman is aged <40 years, this will cause premature ovarian insufficiency.
Note:
- Chemotherapy induced amenorrhea is not a reliable marker of menopausal status and is often transient.
- For this reason, several guidelines recommend that the menopausal status of patients with chemotherapy induced amenorrhea be evaluated by testing serum FSH and estradiol levels.
- Even when FSH levels are high periods can return later.
References and Further Information:
- Determining the optimal cut off values of serum estradiol and FSH for evaluating the menopausal status of breast cancer patients in a Southern Chinese Population. Dis Markers 2022.
- De Vos F, Laarhoven H, Laven J et al. Menopausal status and adjuvant hormone therapy for breast cancer patients: a practical guideline. Hematology. 2012.
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