HRT update

I have lost two friends to breast cancer and have two more in various stages of treatment, none of them have ever taken HRT but I did, for 27 years. I think it is like anything else, personal choice but mostly a lottery. Sadly

I took HRT for 10 years, as my mother said the mastectomy she had years ago wasnt for cancer. I got breast cancer a year after coming off. When my mother was dying of a secondary cancers, I asked the oncologist about her mastectomy and he said of course she had breast cancer. Not even my father knew. I wouldn’t have taken HRT if she had been honest with me, but maybe I would have got cancer anyway.

I agree with the post upthread that we who are ON HRT ..are knowledgable about the pros and cons .I see a gynaecologist every year and he tells me its fine to stay on it as long as I want .Given the horrific symptoms I had and the osteoporosis in the family ,I'm on it for life .

I’m on eostrogen only, risk is minimal in comparison to others. If the government insist I work until 66 then they have to supply the means to make it easier. There is no way I could go to work and be productive without my HRT ???

*hulahope . my earlier post said the same as you apart from the mammogram part, I also had a clear mamagramm 12 months before my breast cancer and mine was aggressive . I don't trust mammograms now and everyone should be aware that they are not full proof ultra sounds are more clear but they are more expensive to give to everyone.

I have never taken Hrt but developed breast cancer there was no history of breast cancer in my family just a word of caution to those who have said they have regular mammograms I found lumps 6-7 months after clear mammogram it was aggressive and fast growing .

I had a radical hysterectomy whilst in my late forties which meant I was put on HRT straight away to help with my bones. I couldn't believe the difference to my life. I found that a lot of my self-esteem issues which would be awful for a lot of the month but absolutely horrendous in the build up to and during my period. Progesterone gives me the most awful migraines so life with a womb and ovaries without HRT was just horrible a lot of the time. The only time I have a wobble now is if I forget to take the table. Nothing on this earth is going to make me give up my HRT but fortunately, only needing the oestrogen makes the risk much less.

Annaraml she always liked to dress up. You wouldn't know to look at her but she had advanced osteoporosis. I was tested at 50 and spent several years on medication but am now on a drug holiday as my bones are so much stronger.
Sorry about your friend my aunt had cancer of the oesophagus at about the same age. She had an operation removing the tumour and lifting her stomach. She made a full recovery Hope your friend does well.

Jan66, I would respectfully point out that that article is was published 2 years ago.

By all means weigh up the pros and cons, but please, this is evidence-based medical research not something that a 'health expert' has made up their mind about, and in fact it expands on previous findings, it doesn't contradict them.

trisher, your lovely Mum is wearing my dress!!!

I have been on HRT for over 20 years. In my case it was given to me because all the females in my family developed weak bones as they got older. My son is a doctor and he advised me to stop taking it about 2 years ago. I feel fine so far, but my best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago, which she was just getting over when she developed cancer of the oesophagus. She has never taken HRT and is only 70. She appears to be responding well to treatment. I am 78. I believe that if you are going to get breast cancer you will get it, HRT or not.

I read the latest on HRT fairly carefully because I used the combined pill for 5 years and everytime there is a scare I have a bit of a panic. From reading several recent sources I think its correct that the study looked at a large number of ladies aged between 50 and 70. It was a solid bit of science where the groups studied were matched for lifestyle, weight, diet etc. For those who never used HRT 6.3% got breast cancer, for those who used HRT it was 8.3%. In other words there is a 2% increased risk and the risk seems to last for about 10 years after HRT is stopped.

As Esspee rightly points out, however, there are other risk factors for breast cancer relating to family history, life style, diet, smoking and alcohol. Some of these are under our control. The link between alcohol use and breast cancer risk, for example, is at least as strong as that of HRT, yet this fact has received little publicity. Obesity is another large risk factor and again the role of diet and weight have not been greatly highlighted. (For info on alcohol the Journal of Clinical Medical Research has a good publication: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3318874/).

ive been on hrt (premique) now for 9yrs since i was 55.dont like to take but menopausal syptoms awful if i try and stop or even reducing it and quality of life goes downhill for definate.what to do? think i will just have to carry on taking and hope for the best!.dont drink/smoke and eat healthly and am slim and do lots of walking so hears hoping!.

Esspee This thread is full of misconceptions and I am actually concerned as the level of ignorance shown by many posters
Would you like to elaborate and give examples? As it follows directly after my horse urine facts do you consider that a "misconception"- Not really a suitable word given the poor mares!.

I did try it in the 90s but I found I just could not keep up with myself. Felt my body just couldn't go fast enough so stopped. With hindsight I am amazed I even bothered for a short while. It's a natural part of life and we should accept it. Just think, women used to be dead before reaching the menopause.

This thread is full of misconceptions and I am actually concerned as the level of ignorance shown by many posters.
In my experience ladies on HRT are generally well informed and have made their decision by considering the risks and benefits, usually with input from their medical team.
Going on HRT is not delaying menopause as you have the choice to be on it for life. The benefits are many, the risks of breast cancer on HRT are very small compared with the risks of getting breast cancer from being overweight, of drinking alcohol, of not breastfeeding etc. etc.
We don't hear anything from ladies cutting out alcohol or on a strict diet to prevent breast cancer yet both these factors grossly outweigh the risks of being on the combined pill.
For those of us on oestrogen alone we can relax as these latest interpretations of previous research show that we get all the benefits without the risks.

Tigertooth No one will ever know I think it's harder to decide now it's not just mare's urine being used. Having read about how the horses are treated and what happens to the foals I could never have used Premarin.
For anyone who doesn't know what is done to the horses
www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-used-experimentation-factsheets/premarin-prescription-cruelty/

And we have this article saying its probably safe

www.today.com/health/hormone-replacement-therapy-doesn-t-kill-more-women-study-t116198

Trisher
Maybe you’re right - you’re mum certainly looks great in that pic. All I know is that my mother tried to come off on her GP’s advice and felt so awful and achey and old that she went back on and feels great.
I’ll see how I am when I get there - a couple of years yet I think.

Granfolk (see the other thread), you take what you have to to get through the day. Hope it works for all of you.

It doesn’t help that ‘health experts’ change their minds as often as I change my underwear! It’s like everything, fats bad, carbs bad, drinking a little is beneficial, oh no it’s not ,now drink nothing. 5 a day! 10 a day! No ones views are definitive so read widely, then choose what to do based on your own circumstances and wishes.

I have just gone back on HRT after trying to come off it - I've been taking it since having a total Hysterectomy in 2001 (I am now 60).
I have also had a total mastectomy as I am a BRC1 carrier and breast cancer is very aggressive in my family (it was my breast surgeon who originally prescribed HRT as I am also at high risk of osteoarthritis).

My life is absolutely unbearable without HRT so I am absolutely prepared to take the risk - which for me now only relates to slightly increased risk of thrombosis and heart problems.
To counteract the risk to me I keep myself fit, eat well, keep my weight down etc etc.

My GP fully supports my decision and he knows I am aware of the risks and keep myself informed of any new findings. We have been trying a reduced dose to see if I can cope but its not working so I will be going back to my original prescription.

As far I'm concerned it is a quality of life issue, I simply can not enjoy a happy healthy life without HRT. I'm really happy for those of you who have never needed HRT but some of us definitely need it to function.

I do get inspired by you all who haven’t resorted to hrt . Thinking il give it another few weeks managing and maybe il settle down .But I can’t keep thinking how my life had no problems when I was on it . Also the specialist advised me I should tKe it as pros outweighed cons . My mum never took hrt and she’s 87 . But her bones and general well being not good . The specialist said hrt does protect bones especially for a slim woman like me . I worry about stroke etc but some reports says it helps and others it causes ?? ?

Of course, this finding is to be taken as another piece of information to be taken on board when deciding on HRT use, it's entirely an individual choice.

Briefly, "the study calculated six in every 100 women not taking menopausal hormone therapy would develop breast cancer between the ages of 50 and 69.
If they took oestrogen and progestagen every day for five years, eight of the women would develop breast cancer."

I have seen the lengthy progress of getting this study published and can assure GNers the timing has nothing to do with the current supply difficulties.

Bit judgey there, Trisha, I feel. Also a few others here too. Why? Does anyone get sneery about people wearing a bandage for a cut? Or taking something for a headache? And a couple of things - you don't have to take the ones made from horse pee. There are synthetic versions of HRT (one, Tibolone, is what I take) and another thing is that you don't actually have to come off it so you really can put off symptoms for as long as you want. To all those who've been on it for 20, 30years - I hope to be on it long-term as well. It keeps me bouncy and jolly and fully functioning in all departments as opposed to being the miserable menopausal cow I was just before I started, about 13 years ago. If I stopped every time there was a scare in the papers, I'd be off and on it like a kid on the park roundabout. Even this morning I notice they're back-tracking a bit on the scare-mongering.

It's like playing Russian roulette with your body.

I'm like yourself purplepatch, at nearly 79 I feel, in myself, the same as I did at 59.
No HRT, though weathered an horrendous storm of constant migraines after never having had a headache in my life. I had also lost a lovely friend through a bleed on the brain just after her 50th Birthday, but nothing tempted me to take HRT, just packet after packet of paracetamol and migraleve.
I suffered for 10 years and how I came out of it unscathed I'll never know,even working through it and also looking after a sick husband as well as a long-haul flight. Good job I was in a haze ! Of whisky and paracetamol.

I was asked if I wanted the therapy and the GP also asked about family history of cancer, which on mum's side there was none but thrombosis/blood problems did feature so the GP immediately changed his mind on that one.

Both daughters haven't suffered at all thank goodness.