NFP & chemically-induced menopause?

[acat]

Anyone have any experience with this? I have been researching & trying to figure out how to be sure I’m not ovulating but am coming up with nothing. I was slammed into menopause at age 30 thanks to chemo and see no signs of ovulation. I haven’t had a period in 6 months and I have frequent hot flashes and no mucous at all. I have been tracking my temps and they are all over the place, no pattern. However, I may or may not suddenly come out of this “menopause” (or it may be permanent) and I need to be absolutely sure I am not ovulating or near ovulation!

We do need to strictly avoid pregnancy (as much as we desperately want more kids ) because I am on a cancer med that can cause birth defects and miscarriage. The result is that we have been abstinent for 8 months now. I have faith in our marriage and we can get through this and we are not at all entertaining the idea of birth control. At the same time, we are not crazy about remaining abstinent for years on end and I would really like to find a reliable NFP method to use in this situation!!

 

[1ke]

You can look into the Marquette Model, which uses an ovulation monitor.

 

[UbiCaritas]

I would strongly recommend that you consult with an NFP instructor who is knowledgeable about premenopause. As I understand it, the pre-menopausal phase can last for a long time but you may ovulate at some point during it–ie, a situation much like the one you’re in right now. I imagine that the protocols for a pre-menopausal woman with a good reason to avoid would be similar to those for you, since, as you say, you could ovulate at some point, too, and the chemo seems to have done to your hormones what one would expect in a pre-menopausal woman.

However, before you use those protocols please do consult with an NFP instructor. (If you don’t know one, contact your parish or diocese; I’m sure they can point you to one.) I am very comfortable with the STM NFP method for myself, but I am not menopausal and am not at all familiar with those protocols. I’d hate to have given you the wrong information.

If/when you do speak with an instructor, please come back and tell us what she said! I’d be interested to read about it.

Best of luck to you, and God bless!

 

[ClearWater]

It would also be good to take folic acid as a precautionary measure. With chemotherapy, it’s my understanding, the often cause folic acid anemia. Folic acid deficiency is what is often associated with birth defects. Also, take the folic acid at a different time from your other medication.

Are you seeing a gynecologist? A gynecologist could help let you know if this is menopause or whatever it is.

 

[ClearWater]

You need to know if you are in menopause so that you can take calcium and do whatever else you need to do.

 

[underacloud]

You can look into the Marquette Model, which uses an ovulation monitor.

Yes, I would think an ovulation monitor would be most helpful. In the absence of a regular cycle or mucus, it’s really the only way to predict an oncoming ovulation.

For women with regular cycles, it doesn’t work too well on it’s own if you’re trying to avoid, since it will predict ovulation at a point when you’re already in the fertile phase. This is due to the mucus providing a healthy environment for sperm to live for several days, which comes on prior to the LH surge. If the mucus is not there, the sperm will not survive, and so predicting ovulation a couple of days beforehand would be sufficient. Of course, this is all theoretical and there are inherent risks nonetheless, so you need to consult a doctor, gynecologist, qualified NFP instructor, etc.

Temps wont help since the rise is after ovulation, at which point it’s too late to avoid.

 

[maryjk]

Anyone have any experience with this? I have been researching & trying to figure out how to be sure I’m not ovulating but am coming up with nothing. I was slammed into menopause at age 30 thanks to chemo and see no signs of ovulation. I haven’t had a period in 6 months and I have frequent hot flashes and no mucous at all. I have been tracking my temps and they are all over the place, no pattern. However, I may or may not suddenly come out of this “menopause” (or it may be permanent) and I need to be absolutely sure I am not ovulating or near ovulation!

We do need to strictly avoid pregnancy (as much as we desperately want more kids ) because I am on a cancer med that can cause birth defects and miscarriage. The result is that we have been abstinent for 8 months now. I have faith in our marriage and we can get through this and we are not at all entertaining the idea of birth control. At the same time, we are not crazy about remaining abstinent for years on end and I would really like to find a reliable NFP method to use in this situation!!

As someone approaching natural menopause, I ordered the workbook for Peri-menopause from the Couple to Couple League.

There are different rules for those of us that don’t ovulate every month.

I can post some of them here, if the mods allow it. I wouldn’t want to give medical advice.

About Marquette.
I was under the impression that they did not recommend Marquette for people that had very long cycles. If that is the case, it wouldn’t be recommended for you. (or me.)

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I think your situation could need specialized advice. I think the cancer/chemo angle could be a variable. I would seek out a NFP specialty doctor and maybe Napro Technologies could help you.

 

[GenerationHV]

Anyone have any experience with this? I have been researching & trying to figure out how to be sure I’m not ovulating but am coming up with nothing. I was slammed into menopause at age 30 thanks to chemo and see no signs of ovulation. I haven’t had a period in 6 months and I have frequent hot flashes and no mucous at all. I have been tracking my temps and they are all over the place, no pattern. However, I may or may not suddenly come out of this “menopause” (or it may be permanent) and I need to be absolutely sure I am not ovulating or near ovulation!

We do need to strictly avoid pregnancy (as much as we desperately want more kids ) because I am on a cancer med that can cause birth defects and miscarriage. The result is that we have been abstinent for 8 months now. I have faith in our marriage and we can get through this and we are not at all entertaining the idea of birth control. At the same time, we are not crazy about remaining abstinent for years on end and I would really like to find a reliable NFP method to use in this situation!!

You need to see your gyn practitioner and have basic hormone levels including an FSH drawn to see if you are indeed near or IN menopause. No nfp method will be reliable if you are in menopause because they all require ovulation ( or sign there of)!

 

[maryjk]

You need to see your gyn practitioner and have basic hormone levels including an FSH drawn to see if you are indeed near or IN menopause. No nfp method will be reliable if you are in menopause because they all require ovulation ( or sign there of)!

Actually, there is a way to use NFP if you are not ovulating regularly.

My last ovulation was about 3 months ago. I had breakthrough bleeding 3 weeks ago.

The rules.

Phase 1 : Marital relations only on evenings of dry days
No relations on consecutive days

Phase 2: Mucus sensations
breakthrough bleeding

back to Phase 1 by applying the Mucus patch rule: Infertility returns on the evening of the 4th day of no mucus (after Peak Day, Peak day is the last day of mucus or bleeding.)

Continue to take your temp so you will know if and when you ovulate.

 

[GenerationHV]

Actually, there is a way to use NFP if you are not ovulating regularly.

My last ovulation was about 3 months ago. I had breakthrough bleeding 3 weeks ago.

The rules.

Phase 1 : Marital relations only on evenings of dry days
No relations on consecutive days

Phase 2: Mucus sensations
breakthrough bleeding

back to Phase 1 by applying the Mucus patch rule: Infertility returns on the evening of the 4th day of no mucus (after Peak Day, Peak day is the last day of mucus or bleeding.)

Continue to take your temp so you will know if and when you ovulate.

Ovulating irregularly is not menopause. The OP said she is worried she was put into menopause by chemo. Follicle stimulating hormone is a bio marker (among other blood tests) needed to diagnose this as true EARLY MENOPAUSE or not. She needs to know it for reasons other than family planning, including needing medciations or supplements to prevent bone loss, etc If she is found to menopausal this is not reversible and she would be able to resume relations with her spouse again. If she is not infact in menopause then she could follow your advice on how to use nfp with irregular/anovulatory cycles.

 

[maryjk]

Ovulating irregularly is not menopause. The OP said she is worried she was put into menopause by chemo. Follicle stimulating hormone is a bio marker (among other blood tests) needed to diagnose this as true EARLY MENOPAUSE or not. She needs to know it for reasons other than family planning, including needing medciations or supplements to prevent bone loss, etc If she is found to menopausal this is not reversible and she would be able to resume relations with her spouse again. If she is not infact in menopause then she could follow your advice on how to use nfp with irregular/anovulatory cycles.

Actually she said:

I was slammed into menopause at age 30 thanks to chemo and see no signs of ovulation. I haven’t had a period in 6 months and I have frequent hot flashes and no mucous at all. I have been tracking my temps and they are all over the place, no pattern. However, I may or may not suddenly come out of this “menopause” (or it may be permanent) and I need to be absolutely sure I am not ovulating or near ovulation!

At this point she needs to monitor to see IF she comes out of menopause.

Tests now will not tell her that. It will only tell her if she is CURRENTLY in menopause. Unless of course she plans on testing every month or so.

OR she can monitor her signs and signals, and keep track of her temp to see if and when she ovulates.

 

[acat]

Yes, I am already in menopause… any tests I take will show that I am in menopause… however my doctors are unable to say with any certainty whether I will resume ovulating at some point. It could happen in weeks/months/years or this menopausal state could be permanent. The effects of chemo just aren’t that consistent & predictable and the stats vary widely.

I’m really having trouble tracking down anyone with any experience or expertise in this area. As far as I can tell, there are no NFP doctors or anything withing driving distance of me and I can’t seem to find anyone to consult with on the phone either.

 

[maryjk]

Yes, I am already in menopause… any tests I take will show that I am in menopause… however my doctors are unable to say with any certainty whether I will resume ovulating at some point. It could happen in weeks/months/years or this menopausal state could be permanent. The effects of chemo just aren’t that consistent & predictable and the stats vary widely.

I’m really having trouble tracking down anyone with any experience or expertise in this area. As far as I can tell, there are no NFP doctors or anything withing driving distance of me and I can’t seem to find anyone to consult with on the phone either.

The people I know, that this has happened to, were already older. And were already on the verge of menopause. So they never went back to being fertile.

The problem is, you are just like a young girl waiting for her first period. You, like the young girl, would ovulate before your period. Which means you are fertile before you would be alerted.

I just thought of something. I personally know an NFP teacher. Let me send her an email. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. Now, she wasn’t my teacher and she no longer lives near me. But I can still get in touch with her.