After the results of the Million Women Study were released they showed that over a million women in the UK alone stopped using hormone replacement therapy after evidence from the 2003 report showed that HRT increased the risk of developing breast cancer by two.
The study also drew on results from the US Women’s Health Initiative which linked HRT to an increase of heart disease by two as well to alert women of the high risk of HRT.
According to the European Journal of Cancer, in the year 2000 over 40% of women over the age of 50 were taking HRT but the figures dropped down to about 20% since the report.
Additionally, the percentage of women using HRT after the age of 55 dropped about 20% as well.
The UK Experts of Cancer Research believe that the drastic reduction in women who are undergoing HRT is directly correlated to the amount of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer as there has been a decrease of 9% in the age group of 50-54 and a five percent drop for ages 55-59.
However, while the results sound promising, some GPs and gynecologists are worried that women who need HRT are being deprived an option that may be highly beneficial to their health.
They claim that women are so afraid of the breast cancer risk that they do not take the time to learn that HRT can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and uterine cancer.
Of course, HRT also helps reduce the amount of menopausal symptoms that women experience that can impact their lives such as depression, mood swings, hot flashes, and insomnia.
