Women who receive hormone replacement therapy may be increasing their risk of developing breast cancer, new research suggests.
Findings presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium sound a warning bell about menopausal hormone therapy that consists of estrogen plus progestin, linking it to an increase the deadly disease.
Lead researcher Rowan Chlebowsky of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and colleagues analyzed data from the Womens Health Initiative and found that women who underwent HRT for five years doubled their risk of breast cancer.
The WHI study had initially been halted in 2002 because researchers noted a rise in cancer among participants who were taking estrogen and progestin.
Additionally, as part of their analysis, the scientists discovered that the risk of cancer fell after women went off of the HRT drugs.
HRT has also been linked to the development of blood clots and a recurrence of breast cancer in women who have already had the disease.
Some women have turned to herbal supplements to help them maintain a proper hormonal balance after menopause.