Exemestane: What It Is, How It Works, and What You Need to Know
When you hear Exemestane, a type of aromatase inhibitor used to treat hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Also known as Aromasin, it works by shutting down the body’s main source of estrogen after menopause. Unlike older drugs that just block estrogen receptors, Exemestane stops estrogen from being made at all—cutting off the fuel that some breast cancers need to grow.
This isn’t just another pill. It’s part of a broader strategy called hormone therapy, a treatment approach that targets the body’s hormones to slow or stop cancer growth. For women with early-stage breast cancer, Exemestane is often used after surgery to lower the chance of cancer coming back. For those with advanced cancer, it helps control the disease when other treatments stop working. It’s usually taken as a daily tablet, and most people tolerate it well—but side effects like joint pain, hot flashes, and fatigue are common. It’s not for everyone, especially if you haven’t gone through menopause yet, because it only works when the ovaries aren’t producing estrogen anymore.
Exemestane is often compared to other aromatase inhibitors, drugs like anastrozole and letrozole that also lower estrogen levels. While they all do the same job, some women respond better to one than the others. Doctors may switch between them if side effects become too tough or if the cancer starts growing again. It’s not a cure, but for many, it buys time—sometimes years—of stable health. And because it’s taken long-term, how you feel day-to-day matters just as much as the lab results.
What you won’t find in most brochures are the real stories: women who started Exemestane and had to adjust their workouts because of joint stiffness, or those who swapped dairy for plant-based foods to ease bone thinning. You’ll also see how it connects to other treatments—like bone-strengthening drugs, physical therapy, and even diet changes that help manage side effects. The posts below dive into these details: how Exemestane fits into broader cancer care, what alternatives exist, and how people actually live with it over months and years. This isn’t just medical info—it’s lived experience, packed with practical tips and no fluff.
