Although many cancers grow faster in women when sex hormone levels are high, there are more benefits than risks to using hormone therapy during menopause. Doctor Cindy Matsen from the Huntsman Cancer Institute spoke about this on MedicalXpress.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is prescribed to millions of women during menopause to relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness and loss of bone density. The goal of HRT is to restore levels of hormones that stop being produced during menopause. However, high levels of these hormones also accelerate the growth of breast and gynecologic cancers.
In the early 2000s, the results of a large study that began in 1993 were published. An analysis of data from tens of thousands of women showed that HRT increases the risks of breast and uterine cancer. Due to the media scandal, HRT prescriptions in the US alone fell from 89 million in 2002 to 57 million in 2003.
More than 20 years later, scientists are reviewing the results of early research. For example, not every HRT regimen increases the risk of cancer. In addition, we need to consider the overall impact of hormones on a woman throughout her life, not just during menopause.
“Hormonal therapy alone does not cause cancer,” Matsen emphasized.
To make a decision for an individual woman, she and her doctor must consider her age, family medical history, and severity of menopausal symptoms.
