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[Mandee]

Hi all,
Got a letter today from the medical practice telling me of a recent new study regarding HRT and breast cancer and warning of the increased risk. It doesn't say I have to come off it but advises me to discuss the risks with the doctor at next review.

Has anyone else here had one of these letters?

[Katejo]

Hi all,
Got a letter today from the medical practice telling me of a recent new study regarding HRT and breast cancer and warning of the increased risk. It doesn't say I have to come off it but advises me to discuss the risks with the doctor at next review.

Has anyone else here had one of these letters?

I haven't had a letter but I am aware of the study. If I were to get one, I would probably still argue that the benefits outweigh the risks. My cynical side suspects that they are pushing this be cause of the HRT shortages.

[Dotty]

https://thebms.org.uk/2019/08/joint-rcog-bms-statement-in-response-to-the-lancet-study-on-hrt-use-and-breast-cancer-risk/

This is the reply from the BMS to the study that the letter is talking about. Basically you are more at risk form getting cancer from being overweight or drinking alcohol than taking hrt .x

[Ladybt28]

Thanks for posting the Menopause Society reply Dotty   
Katejo - that was the first thing that popped into my mind - shortages!  How did we all get to be so cynical I wonder 

It seems a bit weird to me that as soon as menopause and all its issues start to get more airtime in the Houses of Parliaments and more and more  "celebs" or high profile people talk about it taking up the cause, suddenly all the "hrt risk" stuff starts coming out of the woodwork AGAIN!  Its not as if this stuff hasn't been rumbling around for years. The previous scare study of 10 years  ago was largely discredited.  Louise Newsom and an eminent cancer doctor did a podcast (I think that's what it was???) - the link is on here somewhere - talking about it in conjunction with this just published study if anyone's interested.

To be honest the study didn't tell me anything I didn't know already.  It's just a question of weighing up the risk against the benefits and for me the benefits win hands down, but that's just me!

[Dotty]

That's ok Ladybt28. 

At my last appointment with my specialist menopause doctor, he asked if I'd seen the latest scare about taking hrt and I said yes I had. He explained it all to me, but I have no worries about taking HRT, because I know that I cannot be without it at the moment, as I cannot go back to the dark place I was in 2 years ago. x

[Ladybt28]

I'm with you Dotty! all the way!  For me its about quality of life, versus risk...Not being dramatic although it sounds it... for me it is about actually about staying alive in the first place.  I had forgotten what living was. xx

[CLKD]

I would be writing a reply asking for concrete evidence: where did they get their info from, who funded any Research 

[Katejo]

Thanks for posting the Menopause Society reply Dotty   
Katejo - that was the first thing that popped into my mind - shortages!  How did we all get to be so cynical I wonder 

It seems a bit weird to me that as soon as menopause and all its issues start to get more airtime in the Houses of Parliaments and more and more  "celebs" or high profile people talk about it taking up the cause, suddenly all the "hrt risk" stuff starts coming out of the woodwork AGAIN!  Its not as if this stuff hasn't been rumbling around for years. The previous scare study of 10 years  ago was largely discredited.  Louise Newsom and an eminent cancer doctor did a podcast (I think that's what it was???) - the link is on here somewhere - talking about it in conjunction with this just published study if anyone's interested.

To be honest the study didn't tell me anything I didn't know already.  It's just a question of weighing up the risk against the benefits and for me the benefits win hands down, but that's just me!

Exactly my gut instinct too.

[Hurdity]

There was a lot of fuss about this study which came out last August and there was a massive long thread on it on this forum here:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,45086.270.html

OK to read apart from the commas and other punctuation being converted into weird symbols  !

As a result the MHRA hastily put out some updated "advice" to doctors (surprise surprise just as the HRT shortages were hitting the headlines) about the risks so it is probably this that your doc is belatedly referring to?

Here is the govt advice that was produced:
https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt-further-information-on-the-known-increased-risk-of-breast-cancer-with-hrt-and-its-persistence-after-stopping

and the MHRA advice which they are calling an information sheet (I'm sure it was called advice back in Aug?)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d68d0e340f0b607c6dcb697/HRT-patient-sheet-3008.pdf

The BMS also posted the recent Lancet paper (January 2020):

"Hormone replacement therapy and the risk of breast cancer: How much should women worry about it?"

https://thebms.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/HRT-and-breast-cancer-risk-should-women-be-worried.pdf

I presume this further updates the helpful link Dotty provided.

Hurdity x

[Eagle87]

There was a lot of fuss about this study which came out last August and there was a massive long thread on it on this forum here:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,45086.270.html

OK to read apart from the commas and other punctuation being converted into weird symbols  !

As a result the MHRA hastily put out some updated "advice" to doctors (surprise surprise just as the HRT shortages were hitting the headlines) about the risks so it is probably this that your doc is belatedly referring to?

Here is the govt advice that was produced:
https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt-further-information-on-the-known-increased-risk-of-breast-cancer-with-hrt-and-its-persistence-after-stopping

and the MHRA advice which they are calling an information sheet (I'm sure it was called advice back in Aug?)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d68d0e340f0b607c6dcb697/HRT-patient-sheet-3008.pdf

The BMS also posted the recent Lancet paper (January 2020):

"Hormone replacement therapy and the risk of breast cancer: How much should women worry about it?"

https://thebms.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/HRT-and-breast-cancer-risk-should-women-be-worried.pdf

I presume this further updates the helpful link Dotty provided.

Hurdity x

Do u know if the same risks apply to younger women? I'm 32