For those who were once on Lupron and later had their ovaries removed....

Hi!

I'm hoping to get some feedback from those who have been on Lupron and then later went on to have their ovaries removed, as this may very well be me in the coming future.

I'm wondering what the major differences were, between the Lupron and having your ovaries removed, in terms of how you felt and what side effects you experienced? Were they pretty comparable? Did you feel better once off the Lupron and after recovering from surgery?

I have had a number of positive effects from the Lupron (no bleeding, no ovulating, much less pain, better mood, etc.), but seem to suffer from some other side effects that I blame squarely on the Lupron. I know all of the menopause symptoms would still be at play, but I'm thinking maybe the nausea and vertigo and other stuff like that wouldn't be as big an issue?

I'd love to hear some personal stories and accounts of what the major differences were for YOU!

Thanks so very much

Hi, I am happy to share my experience with you. I did Lupron for about 6 months before eventually having the surgery. I gave myself daily injections. I didn't feel well while I was on Lupron and attributed it to the side effects of the drug. I was off the injections for 2 months and started cycling again. Then when I had the surgery (TAH BSO) I felt the same exact way as I did when I was on Lupron. In retrospect, I believe it wasn't side effects of Lupron but what menopause was for me.
Now I am on HRT. It has taken me a long time to figure out my dose and best delivery method for ERT ( estrogen replacement therapy) My menopausal symptoms are mostly better. The nausea and headaches have been still lingering though. The nausea could be from rapidly rising estrogen as in pregnancy. I should eventually adjust. Also, my headaches are from too low estrogen. I have to increase my estrogen very very slowly so that my nausea doesn't get worse.
I hope this helps.

Thanks so very much for your reply and for sharing you experiences with me; I really appreciate it!

I am currently taking add-back, and that has helped a lot with the hot flashes, headaches, joint pain, and the like. It's just that some of the other issues/symptoms I've been experiencing seem so completely cyclical to the timing of my injections (once every three months), that I've been attributing them to the Lupron, as opposed to menopause. But, I guess there really is no way to know for certain why our bodies respond the way they do.

Thanks, again, and I really hope you continue to feel even better as time goes on!

Hey....I also tried Lupron for 6 months, made me feel awful...have just had TAH on June 16th....on Estradiol 2 mgs...so glad I don't have to take Lupron anymore....feel better off of it. GOOD LUCK!!

Thank you for all of your insight on Lupron. My docs wanted me to 'try it for a few months' to try to shrink my ginormous uterus (16.5cm) and supposedly help with the fibroids. I have a really large ovarian cyst that is going to require surgery anyhow, so I'm just going to have them take the 'old girl' out. I'd rather deal with surgery and medical menopaus once than twice.
Now I just need to convince my docs.

I did well on Lupron. It greatly helped my pain and being without my horrid periods those months was wonderful. I had a nasty headache once it kicked in (the second month is when I noticed the difference). The hot flashes were worth the trade off for me. Since I was not having a period, I wasn't having any of my bloating or PMS either, so that was nice too.

Surgical menopause was different. On about day 6 post-op I started to feel so sad for no apparent reason, started crying and couldn't stop & it really scared me - thinking I might stay that way. For the first time in my life, I felt out of control of my emotions and I had none of that while on Lupron. Luckily, hormone replacement therapy helped me feel better in just a few days. Overall though, I feel like I aged a decade that year.

My current hormone replacement keeps my mood nice & even and every time I get to missing my ovaries ... all I have to do is remind myself how very, very painful they were & I come to my senses again.

Good luck with your path to better health.
Thinking of you & sending

Thanks, again, for sharing your personal stories and experiences. Obviously our bodies are all very different, but it really does help give me some more things to think about and consider when I hear what others have been through.

Hugs right back to all who could use 'em!