HRT Warning....

Last night on the News they were talking about how bad Hormone Replacement Therapy really is. Your chances of getting cancer is higher and it could even be fatal. If you are on any kind of HRT, I would talk to your doctor because this news is pretty grim.

I don't think this is really "news" this is actually pretty old news... You need to weigh the pros and the cons.
My mom has been going through this for quite some time - the key word is balance... A life without hormones can completely mess up every single aspect of your organism - your cholesterol goes sky high, you risk of diabetes increases exponentially, you triglycerides go nuts, you start getting bone mass loss fast, arthritis and joint degeneration becomes a big issue ... Our body works like in what you can imagine to be a chain of events - a very delicate balance act. Hormones plays a HUGE part of this balancing act.
Yes, there is a risk of cancer, but there are definitely risks in going without it too, and your quality of life is greatly diminished...

I think you really need to find a good doctor who you trust and can be with you through all these changes guiding you on what is best for your body and quality of life weighing the pros and cons...

Originally Posted by Carolina

I don't think this is really "news" this is actually pretty old news... You need to weigh the pros and the cons.
My mom has been going through this for quite some time - the key word is balance... A life without hormones can completely mess up every single aspect of your organism - your cholesterol goes sky high, you risk of diabetes increases exponentially, you triglycerides go nuts, you start getting bone mass loss fast, arthritis and joint degeneration becomes a big issue ... Our body works like in what you can imagine to be a chain of events - a very delicate balance act. Hormones plays a HUGE part of this balancing act.
Yes, there is a risk of cancer, but there are definitely risks in going without it too, and your quality of life is greatly diminished...

I think you really need to find a good doctor who you trust and can be with you through all these changes guiding you on what is best for your body and quality of life weighing the pros and cons...

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What she said. Your body needs those hormones to function, without them we fall apart. There is a reason why people are prescribed them. I'm sure someone out there could argue that breathing can cause cancer, but it's necessary for life.

Originally Posted by kara_leigh

What she said. Your body needs those hormones to function, without them we fall apart. There is a reason why people are prescribed them. I'm sure someone out there could argue that breathing can cause cancer, but it's necessary for life.

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Yes I knew this was happening for many years. Why the news program brought it up again is my concern. I was on HRT about 20 or more years ago, when the cancer scare started my Dr. advised me to stop. I stopped and never had a problem. Every body is different I guess.

The NYT just had an article on it:
Breast Cancer Seen as Riskier With Hormone

Hormone treatment after menopause, already known to increase the risk of breast cancer, also makes it more likely that the cancer will be advanced and deadly, a study finds.

Women who took hormones and developed breast cancer were more likely to have cancerous lymph nodes, a sign of more advanced disease, and were more likely to die from the disease than were breast cancer patients who had never taken hormones.

The increased risks were relatively small and are not fully understood. But previous research has found that hormone treatment can cause delays in diagnosis by increasing breast density, making tumors harder to see on mammograms. Delayed diagnosis may increase the risk of death.

It is also possible that hormones may feed the growth of some breast cancers or the blood vessels that tumors need to grow and spread.

The treatment studied was the most commonly prescribed hormone replacement pill, Prempro, which contains estrogens from horse urine and a synthetic relative of the hormone progesterone.

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As a woman, many things put you at an increased risk of getting cancer.

Starting your period too early or too late

Length of your periods

Missed periods

Getting pregnant, not getting pregnant, multiple pregnancies

Birth control, especially those that prevent you from having a period completely

Birth control and smoking

Having a hysterectomy increases the risk of breast cancer.

And I could go on.

Originally Posted by kara_leigh

I'm sure someone out there could argue that breathing can cause cancer, but it's necessary for life.

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Breathing is not a choice. Taking HRT is. My internist aggressively pursued this with me years ago, but I refused to take it. I'm glad I followed my own instincts.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Starting your period too early or too late

Length of your periods

Missed periods

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A woman cannot choose when to start menstruating. She can choose whether or not to take HRT. I chose not to and I made the right decision.

Originally Posted by Primula

Breathing is not a choice. Taking HRT is. My internist aggressively pursued this with me years ago, but I refused to take it. I'm glad I followed my own instincts.



A woman cannot choose when to start menstruating. She can choose whether or not to take HRT. I chose not to and I made the right decision.

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This is not necessarily true - I have been watching my mom very closely... Her health issues due to lack of hormones are very severe, and for her it is not a matter of choice. Her health got so bad, she got close to being suicidal over it.
So yes, for SOME it is a matter of choice, but many definitely need hormone replacement therapy.

I had cervical cancer in 1972. In 1986 I had a complete hysterectomy and have been on HRT since then. My cancer specialist told me the risk of cancer on HRT was around 1% higher and in his opinion the advantages of taking HRT was well worth taking that small risk. I stopped taking them for about a year and it was awful. I hardly slept because of the night sweats, had hot flashes freqently during the day at work and was tired and run down. I went back on them and all those things went away.

HRT has kept me younger looking, younger feeling, healthier and happier. As Carolina says, it is a personal choice. As with everything, one must weigh the advantages with the disadvantages and make the choice that works for them.

After reading these posts I really feel for those who need HRT to live a normal life. It's a risk you must take and hope for the best. Myself and many others are lucky enough not to have to depend on HRT and for that I am thankful.

I want to point out that there is HRT and there is ERT.

HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is a higher risk than ERT (estrogen replacement therapy)

I had a complete hysterectomy (except my cervix) when I was 27. Within a half hour after coming out of surgery I was havig hot flashes and was put on Estrogen Replacement Therapy. I took Premarin (pregnant mare urine). I was started on a low dose which the doc quickly raised as my discomfort was extreme.

When I got into my 30s the dose was reduced and I did better. But by the time I was 46 I decided it was time to go off it. I was more afraid of stroke that breast cancer.

I figured at 46 I was right at the age I would be going through menopause anyway, judging by my older sister's experiences, so I dropped to a lower dose, then a lower dose, then started the weaning. It was wicked, mood swings

(anyone remember this: "STIFLE STIFLE STIFLE!")

and the hot flashes were very troublesome for quite a while, and my fibromyalgia got worse. I'm not sexually active so the vaginal wall thinning and dryness is not an issue. My doc says that if I ever do have a partner again she can prescribe a low dose estrogen vaginal suppository that will solve any sexual discomfort problems.

I still get hot flashes fairly often though it's been over 3 years. The worst thing since going off the estrogen is my skin. There's a reason women age more than men. Estrogen is what keeps our skin supple. Take that away and gravity takes over.

It was fear of stroke that made me go off the Premarin (ERT) but I am glad I did, in spite of my sagging face.

I've been getting hot flashes since I was in my mid 20s because I had polycystic ovary. As I got older and became peri-menopausal, they got worse! I thought I was going to literally spontaniously combust and wanted to rip my clothes off I was so hot and sweaty!

Since my hysterectomy in July, I can count on one hand how many hot flashes I've had.

However, I do find that I'm moodier. So I'm going to talk to the oncologist next month when I go for my first 3 month follow-up. I am open to hormones by pills

The increased risks were relatively small and are not fully understood.

The treatment studied was the most commonly prescribed hormone replacement pill, Prempro, which contains estrogens from horse urine and a synthetic relative of the hormone progesterone.

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They admitted that the risks were relatively small....AND they only tested ONE HR medication, yet are using a blanket statement assuming that ALL HRT will give the same results. Maybe it's something about that particular medication?? Unless they test all HRT medications, I don't trust studies like this. Sorry. How do we know it's not a preservative or something else in this medication causing the increase in cancer?

Originally Posted by kara_leigh

They admitted that the risks were relatively small....AND they only tested ONE HR medication, yet are using a blanket statement assuming that ALL HRT will give the same results. Maybe it's something about that particular medication?? Unless they test all HRT medications, I don't trust studies like this. Sorry. How do we know it's not a preservative or something else in this medication causing the increase in cancer?

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Exactly! If a leading cancer specialist in North America (my doctor) says the risk is very minor compared to the advantages, I have a tendency to believe him. IMO there are far too many of these "warnings" and it scares folks unnecessarily. One could live in a bubble I suppose but they would find something wrong with that. At my age, I've been through many of these scare tactics, i.e., "eating bacon causes cancer" and a bit later, oops we goofed, bacon won't cause cancer.

Check out how many medications some of our older people are on and wonder if they are all safe or even necessary.

I take 1 pill per day for my underactive thyroid and my HRT. I have COPD from 49 years of smoking so take 4 puffs of one puffer per day and 1 of another puffer just before bedtime. In all other aspects I am very healthy, live an active life, have good weight, eat good food and am 64 years old. I've been taking HRT since I was 35/36 and will continue to take it probably for several more years.

As I said before, it is a personal choice and each person must make that choice for themselves.

Originally Posted by LaRussa

After reading these posts I really feel for those who need HRT to live a normal life. It's a risk you must take and hope for the best. Myself and many others are lucky enough not to have to depend on HRT and for that I am thankful.

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Don't feel bad for me please. I have a wonderful life, am healthier than most folks at my age and still enjoy a wonderful physical relationship without assistance for dryness. Everyone should be so lucky!