Incase this is of interest… (I don’t know how to gift an Apple News article, sorry).
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Hi everyone, just keeping updated about my Rapamycin Menstruation experiment -
I got my period again yesterday, June 11 ;
…Last Period - which I got back, 2 months after STOPPING Rapa, was May 21 ;
Two previous periods, early on after Starting the Rapa, I got on EXACTLY January 11 AND February 11 -
BUT then, NO period anymore until 2.5 months after STOPPING Rapa -
stopped March 24 …due to a C***** scare …for which I am still being evaluated…
It seems to be coming on the same day of the month …WHEN it has been coming,
…But this time, not ; my cycle was only 20 days…
…I don’t know what’s going on -
I hope my cycle will normalize in length…
…One other very important note:
since stopping Rapa,
I have suffered TERRIBLE Breast Tenderness -
and back before I used it,
that tenderness would at least GO AWAY with the first day of my period,
and only return as my cycle progressed,
…but This is lasting all month,
and it worries me,
that the Rapa has an effect on Estrogen / Estrogen Receptors (had my bloodwork, and Estrogen was that of a young woman’s - at 43…),
and I fear increased risk of …Breast C***** GOD FORBID!
…Will keep logging the effects …hope it all normalizes -
but, so far…
***I’m not sure I feel that Rapa use is safe 
,
And not sure I’d take it, if I had to do over again…***
.
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Thank you for continuing to post. I wish there was some way to support you, besides just telling you that I am rooting for a health outcome even better than you ever imagined. God bless you.
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Sending hugs.
I don’t know anything about this topic, so I can’t weigh in, but are you able to contact a rapa expert on this topic to figure out if this is potentially being caused by rapa vs a horrible coincidence?
For clarity, I’m in no way being dismissive, and I am not saying it is a coincidence, but I’m hoping you can get some more information for your peace of mind, not that it changes what you are going through.
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Ovary health is finally starting to get the attention it deserves in the popular press:
Beyond fertility and menopause: See why the ovary is central to women’s health and longevity
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Any women taking rapamycin with the thought of postponing menopause, this message is for you:
I’ve been contacted by the writer below, who wrote the following article about rapamycin and menopause, published in BusinessWeek magazine. https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-menopause-age-drugs-women-longevity/
Now she’s working on a book on the topic and would like to talk with women who are trying this out and willing to share their story a bit. I encourage you to reach out to her and share your experiences, good or bad, so we can get a better idea of this as a potential therapy to help more people. Her contact information is below is the message she sent me:
===================
I’m a health care journalist (recently of the Atlantic and before that Bloomberg) working on a book on the fertility industry and the scientific quest to extend women’s reproductive years. I would love to chat with women who are finding proactive ways to extend their own reproductive lifespan.
For background: My book was inspired by a magazine feature I wrote for Businessweek and has been picked up by the publisher WW Norton with a draft deadline next year.
If you’re interested in chatting, please find me at kristenvbrown@gmail.com
kvb
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Anyone thinking of taking rapamycin to improve fertility should be aware of the following information (below).
Executive Summary
When a woman takes 6 mg of rapamycin once a week, her Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) blood levels will drop. Doctors and patients need to know that this decrease is an expected result of the drug deliberately blocking the mTOR pathway. It is not a sign that her ovaries are aging faster or running out of eggs.
How It Works: The AMH Paradox
To accurately read AMH levels in patients taking rapamycin, we must separate the dormant “backup” eggs (primordial follicles) from the actively growing eggs.
- The mTOR Switch: The mTOR pathway is the biological signal that wakes up dormant eggs. When this pathway is overactive, the ovaries burn through their egg supply faster, accelerating ovarian aging. 1
- Where AMH Comes From: AMH is only produced by growing eggs. Dormant eggs do not produce AMH.
- Hitting the Brakes: Taking 6 mg of rapamycin weekly acts as a strong chemical brake by blocking the mTOR signal. This keeps the backup eggs asleep and stops them from transitioning into the growing phase.
- The Result on Blood Tests: Because fewer new eggs are waking up, there are fewer cells producing AMH. As older, already-growing eggs finish their cycle or die off naturally, the total amount of AMH drops. Because of this, blood tests will show a significant decline in AMH.
6 mg Doses vs. Current Clinical Trials
While taking 6 mg weekly is a standard protocol in the longevity biohacking community, official clinical trials use a slightly lower dose to establish baselines for ovarian aging.
- The VIBRANT Trial: The primary human study on this topic, the Validating Benefits of Rapamycin for Reproductive Aging Treatment (VIBRANT) study at Columbia University, gives perimenopausal women (aged 35–45) 5 mg per week for 12 weeks.
- Dose Effects: Early reports from Columbia Fertility suggest that blocking mTOR can slow the rate of egg loss by about 20% (dropping from roughly 50 eggs lost per month down to 15). A 6 mg dose will likely block the pathway just as well, if not more. However, higher doses also increase the chances of missed periods, stopped ovulation, and temporary infertility while taking the drug.
Clinical Management and Actionable Insights
For doctors managing patients who use rapamycin off-label for anti-aging or fertility preservation:
- Test Before Starting: It is critical to get a true baseline AMH blood test and an Antral Follicle Count (AFC) via ultrasound before the patient starts taking rapamycin.
- Testing During Treatment: Checking AMH while the patient is actively taking 6 mg a week will not show her true egg reserve. It only proves the drug is successfully keeping eggs dormant.
- Stopping the Drug (Washout): If a patient wants to get pregnant, freeze her eggs, or do IVF, she must stop taking rapamycin. Taking rapamycin during pregnancy is strictly forbidden because it suppresses the immune system and stops cellular growth.
Knowledge Gaps and Required Data
- Recovery Timeline: We do not have long-term tracking data showing exactly how long it takes for AMH levels to return to normal after stopping a 6 mg weekly dose. Doctors estimate a waiting period of 1 to 3 months is needed before starting IVF treatments, based on how long the drug stays in the body and the typical egg growth cycle, but this remains an educated guess requiring clinical verification.
- Ideal Dosage: It is currently unproven whether a 6 mg dose protects the ovaries better than the 5 mg dose used in the VIBRANT trial. The 20% higher dose might simply cause more side effects—such as high cholesterol, blood sugar spikes, or mouth sores—without offering any extra protective benefits for the ovaries.