HRT Study

A new study published in the British Journal of Cancer has found that women using combined estrogen-progestogen HRT had an increased risk of breast cancer, which was related to duration of use and reduced after HRT was stopped. These findings were consistent with a number of previous studies considered in the recent NICE menopause guidelines. The study did not find an increase risk of breast cancer in women using estrogen alone.

In this study the average age of menopause was 50 years and therefore we can not generalise these findings to women with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI). In women under the age of 40 the baseline risk of breast cancer is very low and there is currently no evidence that the use of HRT in women with POI increases their risk.