Most women and health professionals are concerned about the potential risks of breast cancer in women receiving hormone replacement therapy. However, the risk is much lower than many believe. Women who take estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (women who have had a hysterectomy) are not at increased risk of breast cancer4. A recent epidemiological study did not confirm any additional risks with transdermal estrogens and micronized progesterone 9.Its effect on the development of breast cancer is not clear, due to conflicting evidence. Confirms that the use of hormonal hormonal therapy is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, especially in older women.
However, it suggests that, in the case of long-term use of hormone replacement therapy, the increased risks are lower than that reported in a recent meta-analysis that combined the results of 24 studies. For example, in the case of people who have consumed for a long time recently, compared to those who have never used it, the risk of developing breast cancer with estrogen-only treatment increased by 15%, while with combined estrogen-progestogen treatment it increased by 79%. Women who are considering starting hormone therapy often have problems with their desire to alleviate menopausal symptoms, i.e., the documented long-term health benefits of HRT, such as cardiovascular, bone and brain health, versus fear of cancer. Women are increasingly turning to hormone therapy from other clinics and health professionals to improve their symptoms and their quality of life.
If the body does not excrete estrogen metabolites efficiently, they are absorbed back into the bloodstream, resulting in an accumulation of estrogen (estrogen dominance), which can increase the risk of breast cancer and have a negative impact on health. In total, 33,703 women (34%) diagnosed with breast cancer and 134,391 women (31%) in the control group had used hormone therapy recently or in the past. All people have variations in their genes called SNPs or single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and some of them (more specifically, the genes that encode the different proteins involved in estrogen synthesis and metabolism) can help identify women with higher lifetime exposure to estrogen, estrogen metabolites and other carcinogens, increasing the risk of breast cancer. Regulated bioidentical hormones are often referred to as “body identical hormones” (rBHRT) to reduce confusion with composite bioidentical hormones (cBHRT).Women who take estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (women who have had a hysterectomy) don't have an increased risk of breast cancer.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of private clinics offering composite bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to women, which is a matter of great concern. The relationship between hormone replacement therapy and the risk of breast cancer has often been sensationalized in the media and is misunderstood by many. Long-term use of estrogen-only treatments and short-term use of estrogen-progestogen were not associated with an increase in risk. Poor gut health can cause inactivated estrogen metabolites to be reabsorbed back into the blood, causing increased estrogen levels and, in turn, influencing the risk of breast cancer.
