Will Hormonal Replacement Therapy Give You Ovarian Or Breast Cancer?

Several recent media reports certainly made quite a few women worrying. Several scientific studies revealed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) commonly used by many post-menopausal women is linked to increased risk of cancer. In this article I would like to discuss what the scientists found in their studies and what the implications are for the HRT users.

What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy, also known as Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) or Postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT), is a therapy or medication that provides the female hormones which are no longer made by the body after menopause.

Initially, the doctors not only believed that HRT helps with the hot flashes and other menopause symptoms but also that it has many important health benefits. Later, however, several clinical studies reported that the risks of this treatment actually outweigh its benefits, especially when given to older postmenopausal women.

A study conducted on women in the age group of 50-79 who took this therapy showed that if a woman started taking hormones between the ages of 50-55 or if the therapy was initiated less than 10 years before the start of the menopause, they have less risk of heart disease and death from any of the risks associated with this treatment.

Types Of Hormone Replacement Therapy

• Combination HRT- This medication contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
• Estrogen only HRT- It contains only estroge.

HRT is usually categorized in two parts:

• Systemic hormone therapy: This is when systemic estrogen is given either in the form of a pill, cream, gel or spray. It is the most effective treatment for relief from menopausal symptoms like night sweat or hot flashes. This therapy may also ease vaginal symptoms such as dryness, burning and discomfort during intercourse, and itching.

• Vaginal Products: These are low-dose vaginal preparations of estrogen. These are usually effective in treating vaginal symptoms of menopause.

Risks Of Breast cancer

A study conducted on a million women found that HRT does increase the risk of breast cancer. But the risk gets lowered and is back to normal once the hormone therapy is stopped after around five years.

See Also: A Bizarre Mass On My Breast: Could It Be Cancer?

A study conducted on the effect of HRT on breast cancer in women between the ages of 40 and 79 found that 72 out of a thousand women will develop breast cancer. So, for every 1,000 women undergoing estrogen-only HRT for 10 years there will be around 12 women diagnosed with breast cancer, and for women undergoing combined HRT for 10 years, 84 women out of one thousand will develop breast cancer.