Diane, as a 43 year old female going in, my periods were normal. However, right in the middle of chemo/rad treatment my periods completely ground to a halt. I pretty much figured they either stopped due to the rapid weight loss or that my body simply pushed itself into early menopause. While it freaked me out, I did realize that my priorities to worry about, this would probably be near the low end of my list. It was surprising to me, that they returned about four months later. Now, of course, it seems like my body wants to make up for lost time. Heavier, longer and more unpredictable periods -- again, these could all be related to pre-menopausal issues. About a month ago, I started on thyroid medication to even out my thyroid, and I'm hoping that some of this will even out.

At this point, it's hard to determine exactly what causes my symptoms. Yes, I have hot flashes from time to time. I also have this horrible acne outbreak that seems to worsen once a month. It could be pre menopausal or just due to the medications I take (Iressa gives me some real skin issues)

My cancer docs have encouraged me to go forth to a GP and do my regular physical stuff now. This includes all the fun crap of Pap, Mammogram and physical exams women just love.

Jen