Does HRT cause Breast Cancer?

This is a valid worry for many. With good reason.

TO answer we first need a bit of background.

Millennials are the population group that are now entering peri and menopause.

We have a loose memory of the 2002 media coverage where HRT causes cancer was broadcast from every newspaper, broadcaster and magazine.

It was the millennium click bait if you will.

But what the outcome of that was that prescription rates for HRT went from 40-50% of women using HRT to about 5%.

As it stands today depending on where you life its about 4-10%, 22 years later.

💜share you find this interesting and follow @_menopaused for more.

Turns out the study in question (Women’s Health initiative WHI) were incorrectly reported, wildly misinterpreted and resulted in major changes to the use of HRT in management of menopause.

In the years that have past more studies have been undertaken. A summary of the breast cancer risks related to HRT (for women 50-59) below:

✣ no increased risk if you use body identical oestrogen and progesterone

✣ a decreased risk for those who use oestrogen alone (oral)

✣ a small increase in risk (4 extra cases per 1000 women) if you take oral oestrogen and a synthetic progesterone.

✣ even if you have breast cancer there is a reduced risk of dying from breast cancer with HRT

For reference drinking 2 or more units of alcohol a day have more risk than HRT.

And if you are obese (BMI over 30) then there are 24 more cases per 1000 cases. That is 6 times the amount of risk than with oral oestrogen and synthetic progesterone (not as widely used anymore).

Furthermore, there are some benefits to HRT. 5 of them are listed below now:

⁃            Control menopause symptoms

⁃            Reduce risk of heart disease

⁃            Reduce risk of bone disease

⁃            Increased life expectancy

⁃            Reduced risk of death from all causes

The point is we all make decisions that impact our health everyday.

I do not know your individual situation so you need to speak with your healthcare provider and have a shared discussion about the benefits and risks for you.

Have a read of some of the research, for yourself from the scientists working on this area.

It will speak volumes more than the stratosphere of social media misinformation.

💜 share if you found interesting

And

FOLLOW @_menopaused for more daily menopause memos

#menopause #perimenopause #hormonereplacementtherapy #menopausehormonetherapy #education #awareness #support #midlifewomen #women #womenshealth

Chlebowski RT, Anderson GL, Aragaki AK, Manson JE, Stefanick ML, Pan K, Barrington W, Kuller LH, Simon MS, Lane D, Johnson KC, Rohan TE, Gass MLS, Cauley JA, Paskett ED, Sattari M, Prentice RL. Association of Menopausal Hormone Therapy With Breast Cancer

Langer RD, Manson JE, Allison MA. Have we come full circle - or moved forward? The Women's Health Initiative 10 years on. Climacteric. 2012 Jun;15(3):206-12

Fournier A, Berrino F, Clavel-Chapelon F. Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008 Jan;107(1):103-11.  

Abenhaim HA, Suissa S, Azoulay L, Spence AR, Czuzoj-Shulman N, Tulandi T. Menopausal Hormone Therapy Formulation and Breast Cancer Risk. Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Jun 1;139(6):1103-1110.

Anderson GL, Chlebowski RT, Rossouw JE, Rodabough RJ, McTiernan A, Margolis KL, Aggerwal A, David Curb J, Hendrix SL, Allan Hubbell F, Khandekar J, Lane DS, Lasser N, Lopez AM, Potter J, Ritenbaugh C. Prior hormone therapy and breast cancer risk in the Wo

Women’s Health Concern. Understanding the risks of breast cancer. Available at: https://thebms.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/WHC-Infographics-JANUARY-2023-BreastCancerRisks.pdf