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Science is good. Good science is really good.
There is a new study that was just published looking at the long term effects of estrogen replacement therapy and if that leads to an increase risk of breast cancer.
It doesn't!
Such good news. I know this is a common concern for post-menopausal women.
The study followed thousands of women for over many years. It compared women who received just estrogen with a control group (no hormone replacement), and it looked at women who received estrogen + progesterone versus a control group.
The outcomes were very good. The estrogen only group had no increase risk of breast cancer compared to those who took no hormones. The group that took estrogen + progesterone had a slight increased risk of breast cancer, but no increases in death from breast cancer versus the group who took no hormones.
Hormone replacement therapy is safe!
This is great news.
I am not a doctor so I cannot prescribe medications, but for many of my post-menopausal women I recommend vaginal estrogen cream. Every doctor I have talked to says this is safe because it is absorbed in the vaginal tissues and does not circulate like a pill would, however many women are fearful of the increased risk of breast cancer with any form of estrogen. This study shows there is no increased risk of breast cancer.
That is great news if you need estrogen for any menopausal symptoms. You can now rest easy that it is safe.
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