Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Cause Breast Cancer, Says Doc

Does hormone replacement therapy (HRT) cause breast cancer? The "Million Women Study" (MWS) concluded in 2003 that HRT used to treat the symptoms of menopause raised the risk of breast cancer. Millions of women refused to take the hormones, which included estrogen and/or progesterone, and either lived with hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, or with the fear of an increased risk for breast cancer.

Periodically, updates of the study have clarified the danger, saying estrogen-only treatments increase the risk of breast cancer by 30 percent, while treatments containing a combination of estrogen and progesterone raises risk twofold when compared to women who do not take hormones.

But last week, a new study said the MWS study was flawed, and a solid conclusion about the safety of HRT couldn't be drawn. So, are hormone replacement therapies safe? "That depends," says Dr. David Brownstein, editor of The Natural Way to Health newsletter and board-certified family physician.

"There is an increased risk of breast cancer with synthetic progesterone or Provera," Dr. Brownstein tells Newsmax Health. "This synthetic hormone is associated with a host of serious adverse effects including invasive breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and irreversible osteoporosis.

"However, studies haven't positively shown an increase in breast cancer with estrogen," he said.

"The studies are confusing because some menopausal studies are done with women who are only taking estrogen, while other studies include women who take only progesterone," says Dr. Brownstein. "Progesterone alone does definitely cause breast cancer, and there is no reason it should be on the market."

"Some studies of estrogen or Primarin, have shown an increase in breast cancer, and some show none," he said. "It's about half and half."

Although the safety of synthetic HRT is questionable, bioidentical hormones are safe and effective, says Dr. Brownstein. "Bioidentical progesterone is made from plant products and has the same chemical structure as the progesterone that is produced in the body," he said.

"Not a single study has ever been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer," he said."In fact, there have been numerous studies that show natural bioidentical hormones reduce the risk of breast cancer, and other studies that show women who are markedly deficient in progesterone have a higher incidence of several cancers, including breast cancer.

"It's a crime that synthetic progesterone is still allowed in the marketplace," he said. "It's a toxic substance, and it should have been pulled from the market years ago.

"Natural bioidentical progesterone is available, and it does not cause the negative effects associated with synthetic progesterone," he said. "There's no reason to use the synthetic."