Some women take HRT for only a few years, until the worst of their menopausal symptoms have passed, while others take it for a decade or more. Still another area of controversy centers on whether women who have had breast cancer can take HRT, especially since treatments for breast cancer can often send younger women into an early menopause, which increases their risk for early heart disease and osteoporosis. Use of HRT in breast cancer survivors traditionally has been strongly discouraged, based on concern that exposure to the estrogen in HRT would increase their risk for recurrence. The Future of Hormone Replacement Therapy Currently only 15 to 25 percent of women who are eligible to take HRT are receiving it. Some never start it, and others start it but stop prematurely.
Some women cite the inconvenience and discomfort of having menstrual periods again.
Many others, however, express concern that studies have produced conflicting results about the risk of developing cancer. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the WHI is a 15-year nationwide clinical trial that will study heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast and colon cancers in 63,000 women ages 50 to 79. Weighing benefits and risks is part of all medical decisions. Many physicians and researchers feel that HRT's proven beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, general quality of life, and years of life gained outweigh the possible risk of developing breast cancer. They also emphasize, however, that each woman's decision about whether or not to take HRT and, if so, for how long, must be an individual one made in cooperation with her physician.