"My Doctors Blamed My Itch on Perimenopause. It Was Cancer."

[Mosby]

Last edited Fri Feb 13, 2026, 02:02 PM - Edit history (1)

The itch crept up my back, across my stomach and along my arms and legs. It flared during my morning runs and followed me to the office. It was particularly acute at night.

I was covered in marks from unconscious bouts of scratching during the few short bursts of sleep I could steal. I looked and felt like a mauled animal.

My doctor shrugged and said it was just what happened to middle-aged women. During perimenopause—the period of time that can last years, before a woman’s menstrual cycle ends—dropping estrogen levels can thin and dry skin, he said, and suggested that I put lotion on before bed.

Another doctor, who ruled out allergies, also said it must be perimenopause. She put me on a birth control pill. The itch continued. An “intuitive wellness practitioner” who said she was trained in nutrition, botanical medicine and homeopathy, promised to get to the root cause of my itching. She didn’t. A functional health doctor prescribed progesterone cream to help balance my hormones, another solution tailored to women experiencing menopause.

Two years and 11 doctors later, I learned that my stubborn itch had nothing to do with menopause, perimenopause or hormones. I had cancer.

I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer for which a common symptom is a persistent itch. My doctors had been so focused on the most likely answer, that they failed to dig deep enough to find the actual problem. And I didn’t know how to ask them to probe further.

https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/hodgkins-lymphoma-persistent-itch-cancer-symptoms-women-3aa14607?st=GNtx1j&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink