Olivia Munn Is Opening Up About Her Breast Cancer Diagnoses And Her Medically Induced Menopause

Olivia Munn has been surgically forced into menopause as a result of her breast cancer treatment.

Olivia told People in an exclusive new interview. Munn, who last month revealed she’d undergone a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with luminal B, told the magazine that treatment for the aggressive form of breast cancer included four surgeries in just 10 months and, now, hormone-suppressing treatment that has triggered menopausal symptoms. 

Actress Olivia Munn Has Been Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

“I’m constantly thinking it’s hot, my hair is thinning and I’m tired a lot,” she told People. So what does it mean to be in medically induced menopause? Here’s what to know.

In Munn’s case, hormone suppression treatment is being used to stop her ovaries from producing estrogen to help prevent her breast cancer from returning after she had surgery to remove the cancer and both breasts, she told People. According to Munn, whose type of cancer is fueled by hormones, she hasn’t needed chemotherapy or radiation, but hormone-suppressing treatment to cut off this fuel source should reduce the chances that tumours can form again

From Yahoo.com

What is medically induced menopause and what treatments cause it?

Menopause occurs when the ovaries’ production of two sex hormones — estrogen and progesterone — slows and eventually stops as a result of the normal aging process, typically beginning between ages 45 and 55. As these hormones decline, periods become irregular and eventually stop altogether, and many other physiological changes are prompted.

Some medical treatments can send people into menopause early. Medically induced menopause can be triggered by several different types of treatments for breast, ovarian or uterine cancer or, less commonly, for endometriosis. According to BreastCancer.org, these include:

• Surgical removal of the ovaries, uterus or both to treat or prevent cancer and, in some cases, endometriosis
• Radiation to treat cancer (including ovarian, uterine or colorectal cancer)
• Chemotherapy to treat cancer
• Hormone suppression therapy to treat or prevent recurrences of hormone-positive breast, ovarian or uterine cancer

What are the symptoms of medically induced menopause?

Menopause, whether induced by age or medication, is the same, so the symptoms are identical. Common symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic include:

• Irregular periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Hot flashes
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Sleep problems
• Mood changes
• Weight gain and slowed metabolism
• Thinning hair and dry skin
• Loss of breast fullness