Talk to your health care provider if you feel overly tired or are having problems sleeping.
Take breaks, even when you are having a good day.Delegate as much as possible (let others prepare meals and help with chores).Develop a routine that prevents you from doing too much in one day. Switch up tasks that take more energy with those that take less energy.Although studies of ways to ease fatigue are limited, these tips may help: 14 13 Getting a good night’s sleep is also important. 12 Regular exercise (even just a daily walk) can help reduce fatigue. FatigueĪlthough often a short-term side effect of chemotherapy, fatigue can affect some people for a long time after treatment ends. 9-11 Learn more about a healthy diet and exercise. 4-8 Making healthy food choices and getting regular exercise can help prevent weight gain. Heavier breast cancer survivors tend to have lower survival compared to leaner survivors. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for all breast cancer survivors. 2-3 The more weight a woman gains, the harder it is to lose. Weight gain (usually about five to ten pounds) is a common side effect of chemotherapy, especially in women who go into early menopause. If you wish to have a child after treatment, talk to your health care provider (and if possible, a fertility specialist) before making treatment decisions and discuss your options. There are procedures, however, that can preserve fertility ( learn more). Early menopause and fertilityĮarly menopause also means an early loss of fertility. Ways to reduce this risk are discussed below. Menopause can also result in a loss of bone density which can lead to osteoporosis in the future. 2 Menopause can bring on symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness ( learn more about these symptoms and ways to manage them). Although periods may start again, for women over 40, periods often do not return and menopause begins earlier than expected. Some chemotherapy drugs can stop regular menstrual periods. The possible health effects differ with the type of chemotherapy. However, some side effects can last for months or even years and occasionally, can be permanent. Most common side effects of chemotherapy (such as nausea and hair loss) start during treatment and go away shortly after treatment ends. Survivors also may have long-term health effects from surgery and radiation treatment for breast cancer ( learn more). Managing (and when possible, preventing) these late effects of treatment is an important part of follow-up care. Here, we discuss some of the late effects from chemotherapy, targeted therapy and hormone therapy. Being aware of potential health effects may help you discuss your follow-up care with your health care provider. And while some late effects of breast cancer treatments are known, many are not well understood. Treatment saves lives, but some treatments may lead to health concerns in the future. 1 As survivors live longer, we are learning more about the late effects of breast cancer treatment. Today, there are more than 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. With continuing advances in treatment, an increasing number of people diagnosed with breast cancer will live for many years.