Warning over HRT

The risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may have been underestimated, British experts say. A new study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, found that combating the effects of menopause with HRT could mean women are 2.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer than those who are not. Women taking combined HRT are more likely to develop the disease, with the risk increasing the longer it is used, according to the study results. Those who had been using combined HRT for 15 or more years had a 3.27 times increased risk. Once HRT use ended, the risk returned to normal levels. Those taking oestrogen-only HRT did not have an increased risk.