"If My Cancer Is Gone, Why Do I Have to Keep Taking Medication?"

“I did the chemo. I did the surgery. I rang the bell. So why am I still swallowing pills for years? It’s not fair.”

If you’ve ever had that thought, you are not alone. So many women feel blindsided by the “after” part of cancer treatment. You’re told the cancer has been removed or is in remission, but your calendar is still full of follow-ups, pills, injections, infusions, and side effects.

Let’s gently unpack why ongoing medications are often recommended after chemo and surgery—and why it doesn’t mean you failed treatment or that your body is “broken.” It means your team is trying to protect you for the long run.

What Does “After Treatment” Really Mean?

Chemo and surgery do the heavy lifting of treating the cancer you can see on scans or feel in your body. But even when all visible cancer is removed, there can still be tiny clusters of cells—called microscopic or micro-metastatic disease—too small to show up on imaging.

Those tiny cells are the reason doctors stay aggressive after chemo and surgery. The goal is not to punish you or make you suffer longer. The goal is to:

• Lower the chance of the cancer coming back in the same place or somewhere else in the body.
• Protect your future self from a recurrence years down the road.

This phase is often called adjuvant therapy, which simply means “extra treatment given after the main treatment to reduce the risk of recurrence.”

Why Hormone Blockers After Chemo and Surgery?

Many breast cancers (and some other cancers) are what doctors call hormone receptor–positive. That means the cancer cells have receptors that attach to hormones like estrogen or progesterone and use them as “fuel” to grow.

Even after chemo and surgery, your body can still produce estrogen (from your ovaries, adrenal glands, and even fat tissue). If there are any microscopic cancer cells left hiding in your body, that estrogen can still feed them.

That’s where hormone blockers come in. Depending on your age and type of cancer, your doctor might prescribe medications such as:

• Tamoxifen – blocks estrogen from attaching to cancer cells.
• Aromatase inhibitors (like letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane) – lower the amount of estrogen your body makes after menopause.

These drugs are usually taken for 5–10 years. That sounds like a lifetime when you’re exhausted and just want your “old body” back. But their job is powerful:

• They reduce the risk of recurrence.
• They lower the chance of new hormone-driven cancers forming.

But What About the Side Effects—Especially Feminine Dryness?

Lowering estrogen doesn’t just affect cancer cells. It affects your whole body. One of the most common and distressing side effects is vaginal dryness, along with:

• Burning or irritation
• Painful intercourse
• Urinary urgency or discomfort
• Feeling like your body has aged overnight

This isn’t “just in your head,” and it’s not simply “getting older.” It’s a direct effect of lowering estrogen, and it can deeply impact your identity, intimacy, and confidence.

You deserve compassionate care, open conversations with your care team, and support in finding safe ways to manage these symptoms.

Why Immunotherapy or Other Treatments After Everything Else?

For some cancers, especially certain types of breast cancer and other solid tumors, doctors may recommend immunotherapy or targeted medications after chemo and surgery.

It can feel confusing: “If the scans are clear, why am I adding more treatment?”

Here’s the logic behind it:

• Immunotherapy helps your immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. Cancer cells are sneaky; they can hide from your body’s defenses. Immunotherapy essentially teaches your immune system what to look for so it can keep fighting even after active treatment ends.
• These drugs are often used for higher-risk or more aggressive cancers where statistics show a benefit in long-term outcomes when this extra step is added.
• The goal is long-term protection, not short-term punishment. This is about lowering your future risk as much as possible.

It’s completely valid to feel frustrated by “one more thing” when you are already emotionally and physically drained. You can hold both truths at once:

• “I am grateful there are medications to lower my risk of recurrence.”
• “This feels like too much, and I’m tired, and I wish I didn’t have to do this.”

Both are real. Both belong in the room.

"It’s Not Fair" — Naming the Grief

Sometimes what hurts the most is not just the side effects, but the sense that the finish line keeps moving. You thought ringing the bell meant you were “done.” Instead, you’re handed more pills, more appointments, more side effects to manage—especially in the most intimate parts of your life.

It’s okay to say:

• “This isn’t what I expected.”
• “I feel robbed of my old body.”
• “I’m grateful to be alive and still so mad about what this costs me.”

None of that makes you ungrateful. It makes you human.

How to Advocate for Yourself

You are allowed to ask questions and push for options that honor both your long-term health and your quality of life. Consider asking your care team:

• “What is my personal risk of recurrence without this medication versus with it?”
• “Are there options if the side effects feel unbearable?” (Different drugs, dose adjustments, support treatments.)
• “What can we safely do for vaginal dryness and sexual side effects?”
• “Can I talk to a menopause specialist, sexual health specialist, or pelvic floor therapist who understands cancer?”

Your treatment plan should be a conversation, not a commandment. You are allowed to understand why, ask for alternatives, and seek second opinions.

You’re Not Supposed to Navigate This Alone

The “back end” of cancer treatment—hormone blockers, immunotherapy, ongoing meds, and their side effects—is rarely explained in a way that feels gentle, validating, and clear. Most women are handed a prescription, a stack of papers, and a “see you in six months.”

At Re-Femme, we believe you deserve better than that.

We believe you deserve:

• Education that makes sense in plain language.
• Honest conversations about things like vaginal dryness, intimacy, and identity.
• A community that says, “Yes, me too. You’re not crazy. And you’re not alone.”

A Gentle Invitation

If you’re looking for more support—and a community that knows the questions that are going to pop into your head before you even find the words—join Re-Femme.

Re-Femme is survivor-driven, compassion-built, and created to walk with you through the parts of treatment no one prepares you for: the dryness, the fear, the frustration of “still” taking medication, the quiet grief of not feeling like yourself.

If you or a woman you love is facing cancer, you do not have to figure this out alone.