Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for You?

For years, women were told by the medical community that hormone replacement should only be used for the shortest time to help a woman get through the symptoms of menopause (hot flashes, sleep disturbance, and decreased lubrication. In addition, estrogen has been found to protect bones, reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve a healthy sexual life. Although there were potential links to breast cancer and blood clots, and at that time (approximately 20 years ago), providers typically were very judicious in using it. They wanted a woman off of it as soon as possible. I took it for a short period of time (I grew tired of putting my white coat on and off while seeing patients, and the need to put my head in the freezer). However, working in oncology and knowing the risks, I weaned off it pretty quickly. Intellectually, I didn’t quite understand, with everyone living longer, why a woman should be without the benefit of estrogen and progesterone for possibly half of their adult life? I have regretted for years not taking it. And now it has come out that hormones are okay to take, and in fact, we should be taking them if we don’t have risk factors for endometrial cancer, and don’t have breast cancer or clotting disorders.

Like many medications, we need to really evaluate the pros and cons of taking hormone replacement. We also need to understand that if you do develop a breast cancer that it is “fed” by either and/or estrogen or progesterone, you will need to discontinue the use of the HRT. I have personally seen women go through menopause in their 70s, and it is difficult, but then they have had an additional twenty years of protection from other health risks mentioned above.

Please discuss this with your healthcare provider and make the best decision for you. We have more choices now.