A question for women only.

[amymeri]

Have any of the women who had ANs in their 30,40,50 have a change in their menstrual cycle?

I ask this question because my surgeons and doctors expected that I might have an earlier than expected menopause, and indeed I did notice a change in my periods (closer together, shorter) after surgery and now 4 years out I am having symptoms of peri0menopause about 10 years before my mother and aunt experienced it.

Thanks for your insights on this.

[Kaybo]

I don't know anything about this but I will be watching to see what everyone says!!  I am almost 40, you know...

K   

[turbomom]

Hello,
I am 47 with a diagnosed AN in July 2009. Currently waiting and watching, but am getting closer to probably electing surgery. In regards to your question..... my cycles are whacked. They are crazy and have been this way for about 3 years. There'll be nothing one month and the next month I am keeping the hygiene business afloat (haha).  :)I have not asked my regular physician if there is any correlation, but it's a thought. Will be interesting to see the response from other women. Another thought: my vitamin D level has been in the basement. Have had several injections and I am taking a daily supplement. I am not an inside person, so I am exposed to the sun alot. Just cannot seem to absorb the Vit. D.
Take care,
Lisa

[kiwi]

Hi I'm 38 and my cycle is regular like clockwork.  Even when I was bodybuilding and extreme dieting I was regular, so I guess no AN hasn't caused any problems for me in that area.

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

I did notice a change in my periods (closer together, shorter) after surgery

This is to be expected after anesthesia, steroids, pain meds etc

now 4 years out I am having symptoms of peri0menopause about 10 years before my mother and aunt experienced it.

Thanks for your insights on this.

Chart the days you start you period each month. Come up with 3 months of record taking and then go see an OBGYN and have your hormone level checked. If they can figure out if you are a 21 or 28-day cycle etc and know the 1st day of the last period they can test. They like to do this at the time you suspect ovulation as to see what the highest levels are.

I note on your signature that you had trigeminal nerve issues. I am not that versed on psychology so I am asking, “how close it that cranial nerve to the pituitary and pineal glands?” Some one with more physiology background maybe can help us out here.

Was anything noted on your most recent  MRI close to the pituitary or pineal glands?

DHM

[Jeanlea]

I was 42 when I had my surgery.  Sometime since then my periods have gotten closer together.  Almost always exactly 4 weeks apart when they used to be closer to 32 days.  Since I'm 46 now I'm thinking it might be perimenopause.  My mother had a hysterectomy at age 28 so I don't know when someone in my family might go through menopause. 

Jean

[leapyrtwins]

This is a topic that's been discussed on the Forum more than once.

I can't remember the "outcome" though.  When I get a chance I'll have to search and attach a link.

Jan

[opp2]

44-45 next week...was as regular as clock work until my babies were born at 37 and 40. After my second things went to heck in hand basket. I am currently using Mirena due to very heavy flow after Thomas was born. Since the Mirena I never know when I'm going to have some spotting or nothing at all...

My Mom and Aunts went through early menopause. All 5 of them, at between 40-50 years old.

Soo...I don't think I'm of any help. Sorry.

[amymeri]

Thanks everyone

I am definitely peri-menopausal.  I have many symptoms.  But since I am so much earlier than my mother AND my twin sister and older sister are still having regular periods I just wondered if the earlier menopause might have something to do with the AN or surgery.  Since I am within normal for perimenopause I don't know if I will ever really know the answer though.  I always thought it curious when my doctors asked me if I was experiencing any signs--they obviously thought I would.  And then VOILA...I was!

BTW:  My vitamin D is also low.  I think this seems to be the most "recent" epidemic going around....or maybe they are just looking now. 

[jazzfunkanne]

hi my cycle was all ove the place for the 5 years before i found out i had AN, i was 43 when it was removed and that was the last time i had a bleed , i am now 3 years post op, really strange, i have always said homones may be involved.

[Cheryl R]

I started menopause at age 48.     The next year found the AN and surgery and then onward and upward to NF2.        6 yrs later started off and on again bleeding and finally did the hyst last summer.     I asked Slattery at the symposium if could be NF2 related and he did not think so.   I did take hormones for 4 yrs but I know I was having AN symptoms before I ever took any.           My surgeon does not believe ANs and hormones are related but who knows.                   Cheryl R

[ppearl214]

Oh, this one has been tossed around here for years...... so, I did a little digging.... there has been talk in the medical community about AN's and Estrogen receptors. Now, I just did an online search and found these 2 studies that have been done in the past few years.... btw, note Dr. Wiet's name affiliated with the 2nd one.... he's such a nice man!

Phyl

========================================

Out of Toronto:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2637072/?tool=pubmed

ABSTRACT
Objectives: To determine if a relationship exists between the presence of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the size, growth rate, and behavior of vestibular schwannoma tumors. Design: Nine tumor samples from young female patients with large vestibular schwannoma tumors were preselected because they were presumed to be faster growing, more aggressive tumors. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using monoclonal mouse antibodies to ER, PR, and VEGF. Results: The mean age of the study sample was 32.3 years, mean tumor size was 3.2 cm, and the average growth rate was 0.4 cm per 2 months. The results of immunohistochemical staining for ER and PR in all nine samples were unequivocally negative. Eight of nine tumor samples stained positive for VEGF, with five demonstrating low intensity and three demonstrating moderate intensity staining. Conclusions: There is histopathological evidence for the expression of VEGF in vestibular schwannomas but not for ER and PR. Further studies are necessary to determine the role of VEGF and other molecular pathways in the growth of vestibular schwannomas and the application of anti-VEGF therapy as a potential treatment option in the future.




http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/116/2/202

Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors in Acoustic Neuromas
Leif Klinken, MD, PhD; Jens Thomsen, MD, PhD; Birgitte Bruun Rasmussen, MD, PhD; Richard J. Wiet, MD; Mirko Tos, MD, PhD
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1990;116(2):202-204.

Abstract
• Acoustic neuromas are more frequent, larger, and more vascular in women, and their growth rate increases during pregnancy. Estrogen receptors were claimed to be demonstrated in these neoplasms for the first time in 1981. Since then, numerous diverging studies, using various biochemical and histochemical methods, have been published on the contents of estrogen and progesterone receptors in acoustic neuromas. We determined the content of estrogen and progesterone receptors by means of an immunohistochemical method, using monoclonal antibodies, which has proved to be reliable, reasonably sensitive, and clinically relevant in other tissues, especially in breast carcinomas. No estrogen or progesterone receptors could be found in 18 consecutive acoustic neuromas from 7 men and 11 women, ranging in age from 26 to 73 years. The results do not support preoperative hormone treatment of acoustic neuromas.

[wendysig]

Amy,

My doc told me he thought I'd had my AN for at least 13 years at the time of my diagnosis (1.3cm based on it's size ) and my daughters were 13 and 11 at the time.  I had them rather later than most women (41 and 43) do and had already begun perimenopause.  I actually began having symptoms later than my mom and my older sister but have often wondered if my pregnancies started things up.  Hmmm.

Wendy

[jazzfunkanne]

any1 got any ideas about taking HRT? do you think it would cause a AN grow?

[leapyrtwins]

I was on HRT prior to my AN diagnosis.  I started it @ age 32 (when unbelievably I went into early menopause) and I wasn't diagnosed with my AN until I was 45 1/2.

Did the HRT have anything to do with my AN?  Hard to say; don't think I'll ever know.

Prior to the HRT I had many years (8 to be exact) of injectible fertility drugs in high doses in an effort to get pregnant.  Did they have anything to do with my AN?  Once again, hard to tell; don't think I'll ever know that either.

Jan