If you’re trying to make up your mind about whether or not to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or try natural alternatives a major new study by the Women’s Health Initiative gives food for thought. The US study suggests HRT patients face a higher cancer risk long after they have stopped treatment, when compared to those who never had the treatment.

Previous studies have shown a link between HRT and breast cancer – but it was thought that the increased risk disappeared fairly quickly.  This new study, however, shows that the risk of breast cancer can linger for up to three years after stopping HRT.

The results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that the risk of breast cancer remained 27% higher while risks of any type of cancer were 24% higher.  The other health risks associated with HRT e.g. strokes and clots do not persist and return to normal after stopping HRT.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 4:10 am and is filed under Cancer, HRT, In the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.