Episode 168 - What are my true benefits of taking endocrine therapy?

You may be experiencing menopausal symptoms and side effects due to taking medications such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, also called endocrine therapy. You may wonder how much longer you can go on like this. And you may not know what your true benefit of being on these medications is for you. So in today’s conversation, Dani is joined by breast speciality oncologist Dr Claire Macaulay, who looks after patients in a busy NHS hospital in Scotland. Dr Macaulay helps us understand how you can find out and what it means for individual patients.Dani and Claire are also joined by a large group of our community who get to ask their questions and share how they are feeling.Dr Macaulay explains:How oncologists work out the individual's benefit of endocrine therapyThe difference between the older and the new version of the PREDICT toolWhy patients don't just base decisions on facts aloneWhat can we do if symptoms persist?During the episode, Dani shares some helpful podcasts for you to help manage your symptoms. If you are listening to the podcast, start at Episode 141.If you are watching on YouTube, start here and work your way up.The survey is here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=8y1ywoOIqkup1ZOI4kKt2B5ITslOQvhElyTxa010jzlUNTdRRFNaRkJBWkk1UzNOTDRaMUE3RDdaTiQlQCN0PWcu A huge thank you to Dr Macaulay who is also a certified sex coach, supporting people in menopause to have improved sex lives. You can find her here https://www.pleasurepossibility.comEpisode Highlights:00:00 Intro08:16 Treatment Completion Challenges18:55 Hormone Therapies25:06 Managing Cancer Treatment Information Overload27:59 PREDICT Score for Treatment Outcomes35:55 Endocrine Therapy Concerns: Side Effects40:13 Assessing Tamoxifen: Risks and Benefits50:29 Managing Fear for Better Recovery55:05 Balanced Living for Well-being01:02:16 Recovery Requires Realistic Expectations01:04:20 Medication Assessment TimelineConnect with us:For more information and resources, visit our website: www.menopauseandcancer.org Follow us on Instagram @menopause_and_cancerFind us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingMenopauseAfterCancer Join my NEW blog ‘Still Becoming’ on Substack: https://substack.com/@danibinnington?...Buy my book ‘Navigating Menopause After Cancer’: https://amzn.eu/d/07dUoYBbJoin our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/menopauseandcancerchathub Mentioned in this episode:Substack: https://danibinnington.substack.com/