Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[babyjane]

I do not know all the statistics and I realise there are 2 strong opposite opinions about this so I don't want to cause any disagreements, but I do wonder if some breast cancers could be attributed to HRT, (the ones that are hormone fed).  My cousin was recently diagnosed with BC and has had surgery and radiotherapy.  She took the contraceptive pill from the age of 17, only stopping briefly to have 2 childen in her 30s, then changed it for HRT at the start of menopause symptoms.  That's an awful lot of extra oestrogen for a very long time.

Of course it could just be random but it set me thinking (trying to stay diplomatic here as I have seen what strong opinions can do to the harmony in the group  )

[Taz2]

It's always difficult to work out what has caused a cancer. There is a small risk of breast cancer from using HRT - higher with combined HRT than oestrogen only I believe. However, I have a good friend who had an oestrogen receptive cancer and has never taken the pill or HRT. There is a risk from drinking alcohol (wine in particular) but lots of people don't seem to know that. I have found the info on this site http://www.breakthrough.org.uk/about-breast-cancer/breast-cancer-risk-factors  really informative. Just click on the download box.

Taz x

[Annie0710]

I had to go on hrt from age 32, I'm now 48, and when I was 40 I moved to a new county with a new gp who called me in to say I had to stop hrt because of the risks of breast cancer, I refused point blank and said as much as I hope it never happens to me, I can't and won't come off it, I could potentially spends years suffering for nothing, then about a year later I found a lump and had to go for scan, but in those 2 weeks waiting for answers, I still didn't regret my decision with hrt , I know we're all different with our thoughts but I smoked for years knowing the potential consequences of that too, maybe I'm stupid but I live for the here and now, but nowadays trying to keep myself as healthy as I can manage

It's a personal thing is hrt


Annie

[Ju Ju]

My sister had BC, later bone cancer from which she died. There is no other close family history of BC. She took the pill for 8 years, then had fertility treatment, though the jury is out on whether this had any bearing on it. I didn't really consider HRT, because of this. I then suffered years of extreme exhaustion, having to do less and less work, till eventually having to give up work. At age 60, I started HRT. I know there are risks, but I also know what it is like to living a half life and having no energy to do the things I want to do. For me it has to be quality of life over quantity. Many of my family have lived to a great age and the thought of living as I was for another 30 years is unthinkable when HRT has given me back my life. It might be a shorter life, but it is a better life. It has to be an individual choice, with knowledge of the risks.

[Annie0710]

Sorry to hear about your sister JuJu xxx




Annie

[babyjane]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, they make a lot of sense and I have read each one and thank you for the info Taz2.

Ju Ju I am sorry to read of your sister. Did anyone watch 'The C-Word' last night?

I do wonder if some of my difficulties are down to lowering levels of oestrogen but I do not feel they are bad enough to turn to HRT, although it is always interesting, for me, to read the experiences shared in this lovely group 

[Ju Ju]

Just watched The C Word. She found the joy in living while dying. I don't think my sister did, which is the saddest thing of all.

[Hurdity]

Hi babyjane

It's not really a question of opinion really - but the fact that data from population studies can be contradictory and of course you can't really do too many experiments on real people for obvious reasons! Therefore a lot of the information will be on cross-sectional (looking at a whole range of people at a given point in time) or longitudinal (following a given popluation over time) studies rather than actual trials.

The arguments are usually due to misinformation and lack of knowledge about the data that are available.

As I understand it oestrogen will cause oestrogen-fed breast cancers to grow and spread more rapidly than without oestrogen - but it is not oestrogen thast causes the the cancer in the first place.

In any case as Taz says the causal relationship is difficult to determine and there are other factors that have a greater risk than HRT like being overweight, being sedenatry, drinking too much alcohol and smoking.

Not sure how far you are into menopause babyjane - have you had your "last"  period ie have 12 months passed since this event? Aside from the obvious menopausal symptoms that can happen around the time of the menopausal transition I'm sure you are aware that there are symptoms of long term oestrogen deficiency which don't usually begin to become apparent until at least 2 years post-menopause and once they start will not get any better - eg vaginal atrophy, bladder problems, osteoporosis. Womn who have had an easy menopause with few symptoms may well be more at risk from these long term problems because they are less likely to take HRT and the problems when they occur will not be readily atrtributed to menopause/oestrogen deficiency.

Those of us who experienced severe symptoms earlier on and who remain on HRT will already have the protection and may well prevent these other problems from occurring - or at least so severely.

Glad you are not feeling too bad now though! 

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

Apparently my breast lump which was removed totally was oestrogen dominant.  Clinically it was normal.   Found on palpation.  No lymph nodes involved.  Had radiation treatment followed by yearly mammograms for 10 years.

I took The Pill for 10 years.  I also had 2 months HRT …….. can't remember what it was.  Even if it was relevant, had my meno symptoms been severe, I would have demanded treatment.  My GP never hesitated when I required treatment for atrophy. 

Neither my Surgeon nor my Oncologist knew what would have happened had I not had the lump removed, i.e. would the cancer have spread or 

After all, we could get run over by the proverbial bus in the morning  .  I do wonder though how many ladies are offered a mammogram and/or full internal investigation before HRT is prescribed? so that we have a bench mark.

[babyjane]

Hello Hurdity, thank you for your reply.  I had a hysterectomy with ovaries retained when I was 38 so I never knew where I was in the menopause as I had no bleeding.  I started with hot flushes about 5 years ago and they have tailed off a bit recently.  I have successfully treated VA with Vagifem and my cystitis, irritable bladder and thrush are things of the past.

My GP tried to get me onto HRT and SSRIs about 10 years ago rather than really listen to what I was trying to tell her, so I tried several preparations but felt awful on all of them.

[dahliagirl]

I lost 3 close members of my family who all died much earlier than expected and much earlier than their parents had.  They all took great care of their health and did all the right things.  Two had untreatable cancers and one had complications from gallstones.

I think quality of life in the here and now is important.  There is no point compromising that for an entirely theoretical longevity.  If you have an existing disease or very strong family inheritance, then it is more clear cut you have to strike a balance.

Despite all the statistical analysis that goes on, we can't really predict what we will die from.

[CLKD]

well said!

[babyjane]

That is very true, however I personally feel that the symptoms of menopause if you do not use HRT cannot compare to the rigors of chemotherapy and radiotherapy from what I have seen.  It isn't about longevity but quality of life, as you say, but I don't see much quality of life in months and years fighting a cancer with toxic treatment.  In the end my mother requested that her treatment be stopped because it was so appalling and not offering any hope.  When her oncologist was sure she knew the consequences of stopping he agreed.

There have been times I could have gone down the HRT route but nothing I have encountered in the menopause has equalled what mum went through and I decided not to take the risk.

I know others will not agree and I don't want to open disagreement, it is just how I see it myself.

[CLKD]

No one has to undergoe chemo etc..  It is what is recommended and sometimes treatment works.

However, living in the moment: quality of Life ladies   

[GypsyRoseLee]

"There have been times I could have gone down the HRT route but nothing I have encountered in the menopause has equalled what mum went through and I decided not to take the risk."

You see, in direct contrast to that I HAVE had a nasty breast cancer scare many years ago. Turned out just to be fibroid and had it removed. But they were the longest 3 weeks of my life.

But the peri menopausal anxiety, depression and feelings of despair that have nearly overwhelmed me these last 16 months are so much, much worse than any of the anxiety and worry I faced during my breast cancer scare.

Much of these last 16 months have just felt like a living nightmare. Relentlessly scared, relentlessly anxious, relentlessly panicking. Feeling so low that I can't even bring myself to smile at my own children? Then just a week or so reprieve when my hormones stop fluctuating, before it all starts again.

It's been no life to live. And pretty grim for my family too. They deserve better.