In addition to breast cancer, Katie Thurston is dealing with something no one her age should have to: menopause. The Bachelorette star opened up about dealing with forced menopause amid cancer treatment.
Katie Thurston Having The Worst Best Year Of Her Life
After several failed attempts at finding love on reality TV, Katie Thurston is finally married. Bachelor Nation fans first met her as a contestant on Season 25 of The Bachelor. Matt James sent her home in the middle of the season. However, ABC was impressed by Katie and chose her as the next Bachelorette.
Season 17 of the dating show spinoff ended in an engagement when Blake Moynes proposed. However, their engagement didn’t last long. She went on to date another former contestant, John Hersey, for a few months.
When that ended, she took another shot at finding love on reality TV but not with Bachelor Nation. She was a star on Season 3 of the CW show FBoy Island. Katie briefly dated Vince Xu after meeting on the show.
In early 2024, she teased that she was dating someone new but keeping it on the down-low for a few months. She eventually went public with her romance with comedian Jeff Arcuri. He proposed in the summer of 2024 during a romantic trip to Hawaii. But their wedding plans became more urgent after a major health scare.
Katie Thurston was diagnosed with breast cancer in February at just 34. So while Katie Thurston finally found love, it was amid the worst time of her life.
Bachelorette Star Opens Up About Forced Menopause
Katie Thurston has been transparent about every step of the cancer battle. She was initially diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer but new tests showed she was in Stage 4. However, she tries her best to remain optimistic about her future.
The tests also revealed that her cancer isn’t as aggressive as they first thought. So instead of doing chemo, she’s taking oral medication and doing monthly injections. The injections are hormone-blocking therapy to stop her body from producing estrogen and progesterone.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, estrogen can cause some cancers, including breast cancer, to grow rapidly. So ceasing production of estrogen can help stop the cancer from spreading but it also has an extremely negative side effect.
On her Instagram Story, Katie Thurston revealed that the monthly injections put her into medically induced menopause. “Slept like s— because I’m now in medically induced menopause, which means I get hot flashes,” she said.
She posted the video before a big event later that night. “In the meantime, show you kind of what a normal day looks like for me.”
A “normal day” for Katie Thurston is fatigue and dehydration. She revealed that her lips are always dry from the oral medication. The Bachelorette star said it was a “true task” to get herself to drink enough water. She previously revealed a struggle with eating.
Next Steps In Cancer Fight
Katie Thurston is still early in her battle against breast cancer. But she’s not giving up. She recently consulted with a surgeon who discussed removing the impacted lymph nodes. The former reality star also plans to have a full mastectomy and reconstruction.
Fans and cancer survivors can keep up with Katie Thurston’s cancer journey by subscribing to the Boobie Broadcast channel she created on Instagram.
