I believe it is the long term use of HRT that is usually considered the real risk factor but this is now being slowly refuted as more women are insisting they want to stay with HRT with no real negative consequences. Studies are now showing no greater risk with long term use but of course a women's genetic risk of breast cancer, being overweight, smoking or drinking too much alcohol needs to be taken into account when prescribing HRT. I think the difficulty is whether it is actually HRT that increases the risk or not - as we go into our 60s the chance of getting beast cancer increases significantly anyway, whether we use HRT or not.
The use of bio identical hormones is certainly changing things - to me it makes sense that if we simply use something that our bodies recognise and welcome then this will have fewer negative effects.
We also mustn't forget that the protective factors of HRT can, and for me, certainly do outweigh the risks. Lack of sleep due to a lack of oestrogen must do irreparably damage to our health. A reduced risk of bowel cancer and osteoporosis are definite plusses with HRT. I feel physically and mentally better when on HRT - however using HRT is a personal choice. DG x
