I’VE HAD BREAST CANCER, SO SHOULD I NOW STOP HRT?
“F---”. So went the first message of a certain Whatsapp group I belong to early yesterday morning. I scrolled down to read the front-page story that had been forwarded – a study just published by The Lancet which followed more than 500,000 women over a 26-year period: HRT is twice as likely to cause cancer as previously thought – and the risk remains 10, 15 years after you stop taking it.
F--- is right. There is not one middle-aged, female friend of mine who is not taking it in some form or another and I am no exception. The difference between me and the rest of my group, is that I am the only one who has had breast cancer already (grade 1, oestrogen-positive, diagnosed 12 years ago).
So what do I do, stop taking it immediately? (I take a bioidentical combination of oestrogen and progesterone.) Was I stupidly cavalier to take it in the first place? See, I don’t think I was. I’ve done my research. Heavy drinking, smoking and obesity are far greater risk factors than HRT of the “worst”, most rudimentary, non-bioidentical kind. I don’t drink, don’t smoke, nor am I fat.
Twice as likely though. If that is true, what are my choices? Hot flashes, a constant sense of doom, weight gain … or the return of cancer? Oh, God, and what about the wretched White Nights? Let’s face it, there is only so much even the most potent CBD oil can do. I wish I could tell you categorically what my decision is, but writing this I don’t know. As my wonderfully sane doctor says, “We should really discuss this before you make any changes.”
The debate over HRT has been see-sawing for years. My first reaction after that Whatsapp message was to burn the lot of it. Today, I’m not so sure.
Heavy drinking, smoking and obesity are far greater risk factors than HRT