This advice applies to women taking HRT after the age of 50. The situation is different for younger women who take HRT because of an early menopause.
Large studies have found that taking HRT can slightly increase the risk of breast cancer and the longer a woman takes HRT the more the risk increases.
The studies compared women over the age 50 who had taken HRT with women who never took HRT. They found that after one to two years of HRT the chances of developing breast cancer begin to rise. The longer a woman took HRT for the higher the risk.
The studies compared:
Women aged 50 who never took HRT
- 32 out of every 1000 women developed breast cancer by the age of 65.
Women aged 50 who took HRT for 5 years
- 33 to 38 out of every 1000 women developed breast cancer by the age of 65. An extra 1 to 6 cases for every 1000 women taking HRT.
Women aged 50 who took HRT for 10 years
- 37 to 51 out of every 1000 women developed breast cancer by the age of 65. An extra 5 to 19 cases for every 1000 women taking HRT.
When a woman stops taking HRT her risk of breast cancer begins to go down. Within five years her risk is the same as a woman who has never taken HRT.
These results don't apply to you if you are a woman who has gone through the menopause early (before the age of 50). Generally. in this situation taking HRT does not increase your risk of breast cancer above the average for women of your age.
The current advice from the Department of Health is that women who take HRT should have at least yearly check-ups with their doctor. If you have not seen your GP for a while get in touch to talk over the risks and benefits of HRT in your situation and whether you should continue with it.