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Anyone taking hrt even though they have an elevated risk of cancer
I have osteoporosis and I would love to go on hrt. My menopause symptoms are horrible and now with osteoporosis I want to go on hrt even more. The problem I have is that I have dense breast tissue and my mother had breast cancer so I'm already at an increased risk. Since I still have my uterus I would need progesterone as well and that makes my risk higher than if I was just on estrogen alone. Is anyone else familiar with what the new guidelines are for women like me?
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I have osteoporosis in my spine region. My mother passed from breast cancer and my sister has dealt with breast cancer as well.
After researching I decided to pursue BHRT. Found a Docter that works in this area, did Bloodwork and DUTCH test before starting to understand current hormone levels . I use creams for estradiol/estriol and progesterone. I have contol over the amount that can be applied as opposed to patches/pills/pellets. Just started this year, so far has helped with all my menopausal symptoms. Monitoring hormone levels via bloodworm every 3 months. Do I worry about breast cancer, yes, but I'm of the mind set that if it happens it was going to happen regardless of being on BHRT.
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3 Reactions@loriesco, can you please tell me what dosage you take? And can I just tell my PCP it's "bioidentical HRT, or do I need a brand name? And what dosage of prometrium?
Thanks in advance!
@soggybones nothing can rule out that you will get cancer unfortunately. These test just help you risk stratify in your decision making
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2 ReactionsTHE FDA TOOK THE BLACK BOX WARNING OFF ESTROGEN. Estrogen does not cause cancer according to the FDA.
@gargoy you will have to discuss it with your doctor. It is not a one size fit all prescription. They take a blood test and your doctor will have to decide the dosage. Mine are compounded at the Compounding Pharmacy. There’s no brands. It will depend on a lot of things like your history, your weight and your age.
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2 Reactions@mayblin of note, the FDA hasn’t removed the black box warning from duavee
@laura1970 you are right that Duavee still carries a boxed warning - it highlights endometrial cancer, cardiovascular events, and probable dementia while not listing breast cancer specifically.
Long term data on Duavee are limited, however, short term studies haven't shown an increased breast cancer signal. In fact there are some favorable changes in breast cancer biomarkers. For someone with a positive family history but no personal history and with negative BRCA 1&2 testing, I think it's worth discussing her option with an obgyn who is familiar with breast cancer risk assessment or a breast oncologist. They can decide whether Duavee, standard HRT/MHT, or other approach (even no therapy) best fits her goal for slowing bone loss as well as postmenopausal symptom relief.
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1 Reaction@mayblin yes there are many factors that are best suited for a doctors office.
My only caveat is that most people don’t think of getting an opinion from a cardiologist, especially if you have a history of cardiovascular events or a family history of such. I don’t think it’s that “out of the box “ and i hold it out a an idea for anyone reading this
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2 Reactions@ complex issues here… not only risks/gains, but don’t forget quality of life !
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2 Reactions@nycmusic
Such a good reminder!
Does this improve my quality is now my mantra at 77.