Sex Hormone Symptoms And Cancer
Some treatments for cancer can affect the levels of sex hormones. This can cause a range of different symptoms. There are things you can do, and there are other treatments to help you cope with these symptoms.
Hormones are natural substances made by the glands of our hormone system. They are carried around our body in our bloodstream. The main female sex hormones are oestrogen and progesterone. The main male sex hormone is testosterone.
Read more information about sex hormones and cancer
Treatments that can affect the levels of sex hormones include:
surgery
chemotherapy
radiotherapy
hormone treatment
The effect of targeted and immunotherapy cancer drugs on sex hormone levels is not yet clear.
The ovaries make sex hormones. When the ovaries are removed by surgery, your sex hormone levels are lowered.
You might have both ovaries removed if you have ovarian cancer. This operation is an oophorectomy (pronounced (oh-uh-fuh-reck-tuh-mee).
If you have had your , removing the ovaries won't cause symptoms. But if you are , removing the ovaries will make you go into an . This can happen within a few days of your surgery.
For some very early stage ovarian cancers affecting one ovary, it might be possible to remove the affected ovary only. This means that the unaffected ovary is left in place. This means you will not go through the menopause.
Read about surgery for ovarian cancer
Some types of surgery for vaginal and vulval cancer might involve removing the ovaries.
Most women who have these cancers have had their menopause. This means they won't have hormone symptoms.
Up to 80 out of every 100 (80%) breast cancers are hormone sensitive. These cancer cells have protein receptors on their surface.The receptors bind to oestrogen, which stimulates cells to divide and grow. So stopping oestrogen production can slow down or stop cancer cell growth.
If you are pre menopausal you might take medicines to switch off your ovaries. Or you might choose to have your ovaries removed. With either, you will have a sudden menopause and have symptoms.
If you have medicines to switch off your ovaries they should start working again when you stop taking the medicine. But, if you're close to the age at which your menopause would naturally start, your periods might not start again.
hot flushes
night sweats
anxiety, low mood and mood changes
feeling very tired (fatigue) and having poor sleep
problems with thinking, concentration and memory – sometimes called brain fog
loss of interest in sex
joint pains and muscle aches
thinning and weakening of the bones
headaches and worsening migraines
itching, irritation or dryness of your vulva or vagina
vaginal pain or discomfort during sex
vaginal bleeding after sex
urinary problems such as needing to wee urgently, getting infections or having incontinence
hair thinning or loss of hair
The testes (testicles) make testosterone. Surgery to remove them lowers your testosterone levels. The operation is called an orchidectomy (pronounced or-kid-ek-tuh-mee).
This is a treatment for testicular cancer and sometimes prostate cancer.
For most men, testicular cancer only affects one testicle. The remaining testicle usually makes more testosterone. So, removing one testicle doesn’t have much effect on testosterone levels.
If you develop cancer in both testicles you need to have both removed. You would then need testosterone replacement treatment. This is to help prevent symptoms related to hormone loss.
Read about removal of the testes (orchidectomy)
In prostate cancer, stopping testosterone production can slow down or stop cancer cell growth. So one treatment is to have your testicles removed. But most men have medicines to switch off testosterone production instead.
Read about hormone therapy for prostate cancer
The symptoms of low testosterone levels include:
hot flushes
changes in memory and concentration
changes in mood
changes in weight and muscle mass
erection problems (erectile dysfunction)
breast swelling and tenderness
a risk of bone thinning that can increase the risk of osteoporosis
tiredness
loss of interest in sex
Chemotherapy is the use of anti cancer drugs (cytotoxics) to destroy cancer cells.
If you haven’t been through the menopause, chemotherapy can stop your ovaries working normally. This depends on:
the type and dose of chemotherapy drugs you have
your age
Your periods might stop temporarily. But if you are close to the age when you would naturally have your menopause, the chemotherapy might stop your periods permanently.
Young women treated with chemotherapy might have the menopause earlier. Your doctor will tell you if there is a risk of this happening. You might need to think about planning a family at a younger age because of the risk of early menopause.
There are options to preserve fertility for those who want to have children. One way of preserving fertility is by having the drugs goserelin (Zoladex) or leuprorelin (Prostap) before having chemotherapy. This is called ovarian suppression. These treatments will temporarily shut down the ovaries.
But these are not suitable for everyone. Your doctor will talk to you about this.
Find out more about fertility and chemotherapy
Not all chemotherapy drugs affect testosterone levels. But some can affect the production of testosterone. This can cause symptoms such as a reduced sex drive and tiredness.
Doctors are not clear on how chemotherapy affects testosterone levels. It might depend on:
the type of chemotherapy you have
how much chemotherapy you have
your age at the time of your treatment
A systematic review of studies looked at sexual function in men after treatment for lymphoma. They found that up to 60 out of 100 men (60%) who had treatment for lymphoma had lower sexual function. This was potentially linked to low testosterone levels. But the researchers suggested that we need more research.
Read general information about chemotherapy
Radiotherapy uses high energy waves similar to x-rays to kill cancer cells.
The pelvis is the area between your hip bones.
In females, the pelvis contains the ovaries and womb. It also contains the bladder and part of the bowel. In males, the pelvis includes the testes and the prostate, as well as the bladder and part of the bowel.
Radiotherapy to this area of the body can damage the surrounding tissue. For example, If the ovaries or testes are in the treatment area it can affect sex hormone levels.
You might have pelvic radiotherapy for cancers of the:
rectum
anus
bladder
womb
cervix
prostate gland
Your radiotherapy specialist will plan treatment to reduce the risk of lowered sex hormone levels.
Hormone therapy is a treatment for:
prostate cancer
breast cancer in women and men
womb cancer
Hormone treatments can work in one of two ways:
stopping the body from making the hormone
preventing the hormone from reaching receptors in the cancer cell
Whichever way the hormone therapy works, it can cause hormone symptoms.
Targeted cancer drugs work by targeting the differences in cancer cells that help them to grow and survive. Immunotherapy uses our immune system to attack the cancer.
These treatments are quite new, and the effect on sex hormone levels is not yet clear. Several studies are looking into this.
Find out more about targeted and immunotherapy cancer drugs
You can read more about symptoms, ways to help relieve them, and available treatments.
Living with the effects of hormone therapy for prostate cancer
Last reviewed: 26 Mar 2025
Next review due: 26 Mar 2028
Coping with cancer can be difficult. There is help and support available. Find out about the emotional, physical and practical effects of cancer and how to manage them.
Search for the cancer type you want to find out about. Each section has detailed information about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, research and coping with cancer.
Some cancers or cancer treatments can change the amount of sex hormones the body produces. Sex hormones include oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Changes to the levels of these hormones can cause symptoms. But there are things you can do and treatments to help you cope with these symptoms.
There are organisations to help you cope with symptoms and side effects caused by cancer and its treatment.
About Cancer generously supported by Dangoor Education since 2010. Learn more about Dangoor Education
What to ask your doctor about clinical trials.
Meet and chat to other cancer people affected by cancer.
Questions about cancer? Call freephone 0808 800 40 40 from 9 to 5 - Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can email us.
