Menopause

Chapter 13: Menopause  

Overview:

• Discussion of the relationship between menopause and cancer
• Includes the general clinical manifestations of normal menopause and with cancer
• Includes advice on choosing the best option to manage menopausal symptoms

Description:

Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation following loss of ovarian activity. The average age at which menopause occurs is 50-51 years, although it can occur earlier among smokers, those who are thin, and those who live at high altitudes (Bachmann 2004). However, menopause can be diagnosed even more promptly if a woman experiences abrupt and irreversible amenorrhoea after surgery or radiation involved in cancer treatments. This chapter explores menopause in the context of cancer and focuses on the signs and symptoms of general menopause, cancer treatment related menopause, and discusses the management of it.

Topics:

• Menopause and cancer
• Signs and symptoms of menopause
  • General clinical manifestations
  • Cancer and menopausal clinical manifestations
• Management
  • Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
  • Other medical interventions
  • Alternative therapies
  • Self-care and supportive interventions

Speaker / Author:

Gaye Paterson
Gaye is a registered nurse who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. Her master’s dissertation explored women’s experiences of menopausal symptoms during adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Gaye has worked as a cancer nurse since 1989, and has held posts in acute care and palliative care settings in Scotland and England. She worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in breast care, before taking up a joint academic and clinical appointment with the University of Glasgow.

Since 2003 Gaye has been based at the Cancer Care Research Centre (CCRC) in the University of Stirling (Scotland). She has presented papers at national and international cancer conferences, and has published articles on a range of cancer care issues. She was involved in developing evidence-based guidelines for the management of breast cancer for the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN), and was also a co-author of an educational resource for nurses in biological therapies and cancer that was developed in collaboration with the European Oncology Nursing Society. Gaye is a member of the review panel for papers submitted to the International Journal of Palliative Nursing.

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