Does hormone replacement therapy increase cancer risk?

The Women’s Health Initiative study resulted in widespread headlines that hormone replacement therapy as a treatment for menopause could increase your risk for stroke, heart disease, blood clots, or cancer. While the results from the study have since been found to be flawed and have been retracted, patients have been unable to get relief from their symptoms for decades due to the fears caused by this study.

In fact, studies have shown that women receiving bioidentical HRT can actually have a decreased risk of some cancers, stroke, heart disease, bone loss, and diabetes. Some studies suggest there is a small risk of developing breast cancer for women who use combined HRT therapy, such as estrogen and progesterone, but other studies refute this. Your healthcare provider is the best person to talk to about your personal risk and how to weigh that against the benefits of your treatment.