Chemotherapy can cause side effects and it’s normal to worry about them. Most of them occur during treatment and improve a little later, while others can last for months, or even years. Side effects depend on which drugs are used.

Before you begin chemotherapy, talk with your health care team about possible side effects and how to manage them. Many can be treated or prevented. In some cases, it may be necessary to change your treatment plan to avoid or reduce some side effects.

Some of the most common short-term side effects of chemotherapy are hair loss, nausea and vomiting. If hair loss occurs, it affects the entire body but is usually temporary. Hair often grows back 1 to 2 months after treatment ends, sometimes with a different color or texture at first. Wigs, hats and scarves can help, and scalp cooling caps may reduce hair loss for some people. Scalp cooling caps are a special cap that is filled with a very cold substance and worn before, during and after each chemotherapy session. Talk with your doctor about whether scalp cooling is right for you. Scalp cooling may not be covered by your insurance, so you may have to pay at least some of the cost. You can also talk with your insurance company to find out if they will cover any of the cost.

Some chemotherapy drugs are likely to cause nausea and vomiting, and to prevent this, your doctor will prescribe anti-nausea medications along with instructions on how to use them.

Chemotherapy can cause a drop in your white blood cell count, which can increase your infection risk and cause a delay in your next chemotherapy session. Some chemotherapy plans include treatments to stimulate the growth of white blood cells.

Chemotherapy can also cause a drop in your red blood cell count, or anemia. Anemia can cause fatigue and shortness of breath and can also make you look pale. While anemia can sometimes be treated by increasing iron or folate in your diet, severe anemia needs to be treated with a blood transfusion.

Other side effects from chemotherapy can include fatigue and sleep problems, mouth and throat sores, diarrhea, fingernail and toenail changes, nerve pain, muscle pain, weight gain, cognitive problems, changes in mood, temporary loss of periods and early menopause.

Rare, long-term side effects for some types of chemotherapy can include heart damage and leukemia.

However, it may be helpful to keep in mind that for most people with breast cancer, the benefits of chemotherapy far outweigh the risk of side effects. And remember most side effects can be treated or prevented. That’s why it’s so important to tell your health care team everything that you’re feeling throughout your treatment.

For more information, visit the Chemotherapy page within the Treatment section of komen.org.