Many doctors recommend HRT but the media give me anxiety. Who is right?
The media seem to highlight anxieties about HRT but the majority of doctors believed that the benefits of HRT were greater than the risks.
When you reach your menopause your ovaries will have run out of eggs. Menopausal symptoms are side effects resulting from nature preventing babies being delivered to women beyond middle age (2). If any other gland stops working doctors recommend replacing the missing hormones. This is true for diabetics who require insulin or those with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) who require thyroxin. Hormone replacement therapy can be seen as replacing hormones that the ovaries are no longer capable of producing.
Let us look at the Lancet data of 1997 again (Figure 27.3). The media stated that there is a 25% increase in the incidence of breast cancer in HRT users. Many women heard ?25%? and said ?1 in 4 risk no thank you. Count me out!? The 25% was the increase compared to the underlying risk. By the age of 75 years, 7.5% of women who had never taken HRT will have developed breast cancer. If HRT had been taken for fifteen years, by the age of 75, 9% would have developed the disease. The majority of these 90 women per thousand would have developed the disease anyway. The additional risk is actually 1.5%! When compared to the 7.5%, 1.5% represents about a 25% increase. The facts are the same - the presentation is different.
Please click on the required question.
- 1 HRT help me with the psychological difficulties that I am experiencing around?
- 2 HRT help my mental ability?
- 3 Can HRT reduce my chance of developing heart disease?
- 4 How does HRT protect against coronary heart disease?
- 5 If I am at particular risk of heart disease, can HRT still help?
- 6 Do progestogens taken in combination with oestrogen replacement therapy have an adverse effect on heart protection?
- 7 How long should HRT be taken to reduce the risk of heart disease?
- 8 Is there any evidence that HRT will protect my bones?
- 9 Would the dose (strength) of my HRT influence its ability to protect my bones?
- 10 Are there other treatments apart from HRT for osteoporosis?
- 11 Would HRT help my skin?
- 12 Can hormone replacement therapy cure all my menopausal symptoms?
- 13 How prevalent is cancer of the breast?
- 14 What factors influence the chance of breast cancer developing?
- 15 What is the relationship between HRT and breast cancer?
- 16 I have benign breast disease. Can I take HRT?
- 17 Does a history of breast cancer mean that HRT is absolutely contraindicated?
- 18 If I started HRT early (aged 30 to 45), does this influence my chance of developing breast cancer?
- 19 Does hormone replacement therapy increase the risks of cancer of the womb?
- 20 I have had endometrial cancer and now have menopausal problems. Can I take HRT?
- 21 Does HRT have a relationship to ovarian cancer?
- 22 How does HRT relate to a blood clot (DVT - deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism)?
- 23 I have varicose veins. Can I take HRT?
- 24 Should HRT be discontinued before I have a major operation or leg surgery?
- 25 Does HRT increase life-expectancy?
- 26 I am still seeing periods. Could HRT have any benefits for me?
- 27 I have been told that I have fibroids. Can I take HRT?
- 28 What happens if I decide not to take HRT?
- 29 Doctors seem to promote HRT but the media cause me anxiety. Who is right?
- 30 Support Groups.
Thank you for choosing to visit us.
This is the personal website of David A Viniker MD FRCOG, retired Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist - Specialist Interests - Reproductive Medicine including Infertility, PCOS, PMS, Menopause and HRT.
I do hope that you find the answers to your women's health questions in the patient information and medical advice provided.
- Specialist Interests - Reproductive Medicine including Infertility, PCOS, PMS, Menopause and HRT.
I do hope that you find the answers to your women's health questions in the patient information and medical advice provided.
The aim of this web site is to provide a general guide and it is not intended as a substitute for a consultation with an appropriate specialist in respect of individual care and treatment.
David Viniker retired from active clinical practice in 2012.
In 1999, he setup this website - www.2womenshealth.com - to provide detailed
information many of his patients requested. The website attracts thousands of visitors every day from around the world.
If you would like advice on how to make more from your website, please visit his website Keyword SEO PRO or email him on david@page1-on-google.com.
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