Source: The Wall Street Journal and USA Today
It is commonly accepted that hormone replacement therapy, while important, increasesthe risk of breast cancer in women. Recently published research suggests, however, that the risk of breast cancer drops significantly within 2 years of ending hormone replacement.
The lead author of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzed data from the Women’s Health Initiative, which demonstrated a marked decline in the risk of breast cancer in the first 2 years of stopping treatment. The Wall Street Journal has reported that 210,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer each year up to 2002. That number has dropped to less than 190,000 from 2002 to 2005. The decline has been attributed to withdrawal of hormone replacements.
Many doctors still maintain that hormones for menopause or menopausal symptoms are safe and effective. However many more now recommend the lowest therapeutic doses for the least amount of time and only where the patient’s symptoms significantly affect their quality of life.
posted by David Marc Schwadron, Esq.
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