HRT advice

[Sunflowerinmygarden]

Hello
After a recent celebrity having breast cancer on the news today. Im now totally panicking and so worried that I might get breast cancer. Im 47 started HRT 2 weeks ago, (the gel) and progesterone in the evening, im finally feeling amazing, brighter, more sharper in my thinking and clear head/eyesight. No more brutal hot flushes. However im now concerned ive put myself at risk of cancer.
I feel like I did in my 30s happy and full of energy. But now im paranoid.
What shall I do, stop the HRT or carry on for 5 years. 😢

There are risks either way. You could get cancer whether or not you take HRT, however it also prevents other things

Is there a family history of breast cancer?

I think the most important thing is to check your breasts, so should something happen you get treatment quickly.

It sounds like the HRT is really helping you.

If you are talking about Davina it seems that she has had a lot of bad luck lately health wise, and I wish her well.
I am on oral hrt ...Femoston conti ultra.
I shall continue and have mammograms as scheduled etc.
I think you should try and calm yourself. Breast cancer can happen to women whether on hrt or not.

I have also recently started HRT. I think feeling better is worth the risk.

Hello
Thank you for replying,
There's no breast cancer in my family. Im such a worrier though, I will be even more vigilant with checking my breasts now.
Im so better on HRT im actually enjoying life a bit more. My periods last a day now and every 7 weeks.

https://thebms.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/WHC-Infographics-JANUARY-2023-BreastCancerRisks.pdf

Drinking alcohol is a greater risk.

Yes poor Davina I feel sorry for her. Apparently she was on HRT too.

Will I get called for a mammogram at 50?

I went to a menopause support group last night and a pharmacist gave these stats

Oestrogen unchecked could cause Endometrial cancer
5 in 1000 not on HRT
10 to 60 in 1000 Oestrogen only
5 in 1000 HRT combined oestrogen and progesterone

Breast cancer risk higher with combination HRT. Family history plays a part. After 3 years of use the risk is higher
If used over 5 years and you stop, you still have a risk of developing breast cancer for the next 10 10 years.

No womb no need for progesterone

Drinking 2 alcohol units a day or obesity carries same risk of breast cancer as 5 years on HRT

Really feel for Davina after promoting HRT. My DM had breast cancer so I’m never taking it and luckily am 54 and have had mild symptoms. It is a risk but as a pp said there are risks from obesity and alcohol and diet and later life births and no breastfeeding. . I just chose not to add another risk. the family risk is overplayed. I have two friends who got breast cancer in late 40s with no family history and no hrt as they were only peri then. Both their mothers had never had breast cancer.

I've been on HRT for many years (I'm now 69) and I'm now on a post-menopausal dose.

My GP is an expert in women's health. I'm very fortunate.

I have a family history of breast cancer.

I have had regular mammograms.

I believe that HRT has enhanced my life and helped me to be more settled, healthy, calm and productive.

Well...I sit here on hrt with a glass of red in my hand...
I don't smoke so that's something I guess!

I saw this too and it is disconcerting. The truth is we don't know why Davina McCall got breast cancer, she was probably just unlucky and it could happen to any one of us HRT or not.

She was on a non standard dose of oestrogen I think and has had majors struggles in her life but she seems to be a really healthy, proactive person and it must be devastating for her to get this diagnosis after her recent treatment for cysts on her brain and requiring surgery for them.

This news isn't going to change my own choice to use HRT but I do wonder if she will have to stop using it now herself? I follow another woman on you tube who used HRT for 30 years but had to stop after developing breast cancer and she seems to be doing well now.

I do try to be as healthy as I can in other ways. I've never drank alcohol, am vegetarian, I exercise and I try to eat a lot of fibre as I think that helps the body clear out hormones Using Fiber to Manage Excess Estrogen: Hormone Balance Guide - The Mindful Peanut

Ultimately I might get breast cancer but I might get it without HRT.

@Sunflowerinmygarden , there’s lots of erroneous information out there. I hope this helps you.
https://signaturewellness.org/scared-that-estrogen-replacement-will-cause-breast-cancer-lets-talk

@passwordnotsecure That advice is incorrect in some places.

The 10 years risk after stopping was corrected some time ago, to 2 years.

I'm not sure if the figure for endometrial cancer /HRT is correct as there is no timeline for it- over how many years?

I'm definitely not trying to persuade anyone either way, but for info, the stats are based on synthetic progestogen and not micronised progesterone.

The recent info from the BMS is that micronised progesterone for up to 5 years shows no increase in BC. It may or may not have a risk after that time , but the data is not there because it's not been included in the research stats.

This is on the BMS website as consensus statements and also on their more general statements on HRT.

There is also @Sunflowerinmygarden evidence that the risks don't apply to women under 50 on HRT because you would normally have your own hormones to gage 50-52 (when you might be post menopause.)

Obviously you need to weigh up the pros and cons and what suits you best.

First of all there are many different types of breast cancer and not all are hormone driven. Those that get ER+ breast cancer will have to take oestrogen suppressing drugs long term.
We don't know what kind Davina has.

I didn't take HRT because of the risk but I got breast cancer anyway. Mine was ER negative though.
HRT does other things, an important one being it gives some protection against bone loss. I now have osteoporosis so in hindsight my decision to not take HRT was wrong.

My apologies if the stats I have were incorrect. I was told them by a pharmacist the day before.

Pharmacists don't necessarily know it ALL and it just depends on how much training they have had (they don't get any on menopause itself, just the drugs they dispense.) There are posts here where pharmacists have got it wrong.

I expect they were doing the talk as promotion for their pharmacy, being honest. (They usually get paid a fee per prescription.)

I won't consider stopping HRT.
I'm 47, been on it since 44 with the highest dose of oestrogen and synthetic progesterone (Mirena Coil, which is thought to increase the risk of BC.)

HRT stopped me thinking about suicide two weeks out of every cycle, stopped my iron defficient anaemia, stopped my night sweats, endless exhaustion, and brought back my sex drive and thus my relationship.

I also drink alcohol once a week, eat too much dark chocolate, have been using asthma inhalers for 40 years. There are any number of things that can cause cancer.

Why do you want to clear out oestrogen? There’s no background in this article about the purpose of clearing out oestrogen. Presumably to reduce the risk of breast cancer, but then you could just not take HRT, rather than take it but try to get rid of it. Or am I missing something? @clearveil

There are good sources of free information about stats etc, would look up some of those.

Agree that the information posted by @passwordnotsecure seems inaccurate

Take a look at terrain theory of cancer if you want to know ways to modify your overall risk of cancer.

@Sunflowerinmygarden You should get invited for a mammogram around the time you are 50.

You can have a mammogram anytime you want if you arrange one privately. (Most private hospitals do them. Cost varies from £200 upwards.)

Fibre helps regulate oestrogen by binding to oestrogen metabolites in the gut and carrying them out of the body. Without enough fibre, these metabolites can be reabsorbed and converted into more inflammatory, proliferative forms of oestrogen. This recycling can contribute to symptoms of oestrogen dominance and increase long-term risk.

During perimenopause and menopause, when hormone metabolism can fluctuate and HRT adds extra oestrogen to the system, fibre supports healthy elimination and helps maintain a balanced, safer oestrogen profile.

In short, I want the benefits of HRT and oestrogen without my body reabsorbing and converting these hormones into less beneficial and potentially inflammatory forms of oestrogen, fibre is one way to do this and it has many additional health benefits.

This recycling can contribute to symptoms of oestrogen dominance and increase long-term risk.

Estrogen dominance doesn't exist.
It's a US 'invention'. Sadly there is a lot of this false science coming from the US.
Estrogen is not metabolised into an inflammatory harmful form.

The website you linked to is by a yoga teacher, no scientific training, not a doctor.

Fibre is very important for our health but it doesn't change estrogen into something else.

The risk with HRT is not the estrogen.
Women who use only estrogen (women who have no uterus) have LESS BC than women in the general population. This is well established.

The risk of HRT and breast cancer is the addition of progestogen and the type.

All of this.

I can’t believe there’s still so much misinformation out there about HRT.
People need to remember most of the studies were done on the older, synthetic forms of HRT.