It's a little disconcerting to heat that "natural" hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could assist in the development of uterine cancer, but that is precisely what research from John Eden (reproductive endocrinology authority) shows.

At hand were specific hand-made HRT lozenges -- and three of the women studied ended up developing endometrial cancer after taking these natural HRT products.

Should HRT be banished from countries across the world? Millions have already done that after 2002 data showed that possible heart ailments could be a result from HRT, but then again, many women swear by HRT as helping then lead a normal life after menopause.

It's estimated that nearly 180,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Outside of lung cancer, it's the leading cause of cancer-related death in U.S. women. Out of the 180,000 who are diagnosed, 40,000 will die from breast cancer.

Those stats are hard to read, and may make many scurry for information on how to prevent breast cancer. Performing self-checks and making the decision to have mammograms (which are questionable to some) are the results of such thinking. Anything that makes women more proactive to determining if they have breast cancer signs is a good thing.

What about menopausal or post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a cause? HRT is a common treatment for dealing with menopausal symptoms (which can be quite disruptive to life), but if it can contribute to the potential for developing breast cancer, what course of action can be taken? A recent study detailed that breast cancer cases dropped with a decline of estrogen-progestin (HRT) treatments, and increased when these treatments were more plentiful. Is this a cause for concern? Hard to say, but it raised my eyebrow.

Hormone Replacement Therapy is a controversial treatment for the sometimes severe symptoms of menopause which include hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats and weakened bones. There's been ongoing debates about the safety of such treatments, because HRT has, in some studies, been shown to increase a woman's risk of heart attacks and breast cancer. Yet some feel that these findings have been exaggerated and the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks. In fact, there's even a type of HRT designed to fight breast cancer.

So what's my point here? It's this: If you're considering HRT, it's important to make an informed choice. Here's an article that sums up the issue of HRT, and as always, talk to your doctor about risks before taking any medication

If you're going through menopause or are post-menopausal, are you on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to deal with hot flashes and other menopause situations? You're not alone, although many women are opting for more natural remedies that don't involve HRT.

With recent information linking HRT to enhanced cancer risks, what are other solutions? In what seems like common knowledge, eating right (having a very strict and followed diet) and more exercise may be your ticket to minimizing the pain of being in menopause -- but without risking internal damage or elevating your risk of cancer in any form.

The results of this study are fascinating and can be found here. What's your stance on HRT in light of recent news? Is a non-pharmacological approach to dealing with menopause a route you'd be willing to investigate?

Back in the news: the link between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast cancer. This time, the connection is seemingly more conclusive than before, when some argued that many factors influence the risk of breast cancer, that HRT could not do the job all on its own.

Now, two separate studies offer up powerful evidence that HRT is linked to tumor growth. Case in point: when use of the therapy drops, so do incidences of breast cancer.

New figures in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest there have been 16,000 fewer cases of breast cancer nationwide since mid-2002, when women stopped taking their hormone pills following the federal Women's Health Initiative announcement connecting the therapy with increased risk of breast cancer, stroke, and heart attack.

Many did not want to believe HRT was to blame for so many breast cancer diagnoses. And maybe it's not the actual cause of the disease, but the fuel for tumors trying to grow.

These new findings do not appear to be a statistical fluke, says one doctor. Numbers have been computed and re-computed, and the message is clear: HRT is strongly implicated as the guilty party. There is just no other culprit, says a statistician at the National Cancer Institute.

Wyeth, maker of Premarin and Prempro -- two forms of hormone therapy -- continues to caution women against drawing any conclusions about HRT and breast cancer. There still may be broader explanation for the decline in cases, say their spokespeople.

There may be another explanation for the recently announced decline in breast cancer rates. And it's not nearly as promising as the first explanation may be.

A day after researchers announced that the significant drop in breast cancer cases is primarily due to fewer women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT), some experts suggest breast cancer rates are not dropping at all. Just as many women may have breast cancer, they say. They just aren't being screened for it.

"We have been aware for several years that the number of radiologists who specialize in mammography have been decreasing, and that there are places in the United States where women have difficulty getting access to mammography," Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, wrote on the society's blog just after the public announcement.

"If mammography use has reached a peak and is now decreasing, we may actually be diagnosing fewer cancers when they can be most effectively treated, Lichtenfeld said. "If you don't get a mammogram, you don't diagnose a cancer."

The research linking the decline in HRT to the drop in breast cancer came from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and was discussed at a breast cancer conference in San Antonio on Thursday. The research, based on a report by the National Cancer Institute, showed a seven percent drop in new breast cancer cases between July 2002 and August 2003, corresponding with the results of a 2002 Women's Health Initiative study.

With media reports citing HRT as the direct cause of the drop, some worry the public is getting the wrong message -- specifically women still taking hormones or those who have taken them in the past. While women not taking hormones are breathing a sigh of relief, others are in a panic.

Dr. Katherine Sherif, director of the Drexel Center for Women's Health at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, has spoken already with 15 patients worried about this news.

"What I have told them is that three years is too short of a time to measure the effects of a drug on breast cancer," she said. "Cancers take decades to develop, and conversely, withdrawing hormones could not result in a decrease in breast cancer in three years -- it's actually absurdly short." There are also concerns women will experience anxiety about other therapies using estrogen, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The study on HRT and breast cancer may be raising more questions than answers -- which could be a good thing. More questions prompt more investigation, more study, more research. And this will hopefully help us figure out one facet of the mystery of breast cancer.

Previous posts on the topic of HRT and breast cancer are as follows.

• HRT use drops breast cancer rates drop
• Hooray for HRT!?
• HRT and smoking dramatically increases breast cancer risk
• HRT increases breast cancer risks

If you have ever been diagnosed with breast cancer, it is quite likely that one of the first books, if not the only book, recommended to you was Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book. The New York Times rightly refers to her book as "the bible for women with breast cancer." Her second book, Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book, was one of the first to question the widespread use of postmenopausal hormones. Dr. Love is a genuinely trusted presence and clear voice in the world of women's breast health.

An eminent pioneer in the field of breast cancer for 30 years, and considered one of the founding mothers of the breast cancer advocacy movement, her mission, and the mission of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, is to eradicate breast cancer within our lifetime and better the lives of women by generating resources and innovation for education, research, and advocacy on women's health issues.

Part of the recently redesigned Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation website is the addition of a blog. Dr. Love is blogging the San Antonio for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium where she joins more than 8000 physicians, scientists, and breast cancer advocates in what is considered one of the most important conferences held each year regarding cancer.

On the first day, Dr. Love blogs both clinical and big picture highlights, including her take on two newsworthy study findings we posted here earlier today. The first concerns the common house mouse virus link to breast cancer and the second one regarding the dramatic decrease in breast cancer cases and the corresponding decrease in women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Dr. Love posted, "There was a sudden dramatic (7 percent) decrease in breast cancer in 2003 corresponding with the equally dramatic decrease in women who stopped taking HRT after the WHI study found it appeared to do more harm than good. The study found 14,000 less breast cancers in one year! In my mind this is the final proof we need that taking hormonal therapy after menopause for the prevention of the diseases of aging makes no sense."

For a trusted analysis of the conference, you can find Dr. Love blogging the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium here.

Breast cancer statistics for 2003 are in, and researchers have announced that the number of breast cancer cases dropped by an impressive seven percent, with the greatest drop occurring in women between ages 50-69 diagnosed with estrogen receptor positive (ER-positive) breast cancer.

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers attribute this good news to the fact that in the same time frame, millions of women stopped taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) over concerns that HRT led to an increased risk for breast cancer.

If the statistics hold for upcoming years, HRT will have proven a greater causative effect leading to breast cancer than originally believed.

"Incidence of breast cancer had been increasing in the 20 or so years prior to July 2002, and this increase was over and above the known role of screening mammography," stated Donald Berry, Ph.D. "HRT had been proposed as a possible factor, although the magnitude of any HRT effect was not known. Now the possibility that the effect is much greater than originally thought all along is plausible, and that is a remarkable finding."

While the researchers best guesstimate is that HRT might be the contributing factor to the drop in ER-positive breast cancer cases for 2003, they cannot be 100 percent certain at this point. We will need to wait and see what the years 2004 and 2005 tell us about any continuing declines in breast cancer cases, and learn what other, if any, contributing factors are responsible for the decline.

Previous posts we have done regarding HRT and breast cancer:

• Hooray for HRT!?
• HRT and smoking dramatically increases breast cancer risk
• HRT increases breast cancer risks

For women with estrogen-driven breast cancer suffering the symptoms of menopause, being prescribed traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is out of the question. The risks are simply too great in introducing any estrogen into the body. There are few alternatives and many women decide to suffer with hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and cold flashes, a clammy feeling, sporadic rapid heart beat, irritability, mood swings, sudden tears, insomnia, fatigue, feelings of anxiety, dread, apprehension, difficulty concentrating, disorientation, depression and mental confusion -- without any significant relief. One of the alternatives is personalized natural hormone replacement therapy that is individually mixed specific to each woman's needs.

According to Sydney Menopause Centre at Randwick's Royal Hospital for Women director Dr John Eden, who has diagnosed two women patients with uterine cancer, believes the cancer is linked to natural hormone replacement therapy. Australian doctors are warning women to think twice before taking handmade hormone compounds prepared by chemists, due to the danger that these preparations can lead to elevated hormone levels that could lead to excessive bleeding, increased risk of breast and uterine cancer and blood clots.

"Many women think they are getting a herbal treatment and are shocked to learn they are getting a hormone treatment," stated Dr Eden. Dr Helena Teede, research director at the Jean Hailes Foundation, also added that many women were unaware these preparations were not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Britain's television and radio fitness guru Diana Moran recently shared her breast cancer experience in an interview with BBC News. Back in the 80's, Moran led a national campaign for health and fitness with a program called Get Britain Fit. She gained the nickname Green Goddess for her trademark green leotards. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she said it came as a complete surprise to her. She had never felt better. She had no symptoms that told her anything was wrong.

Because Moran, at 47, was entering menopause, she had gone to the doctor to see if she qualified for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It was then she had a mammogram and breast cancer diagnosis followed. From disbelief, to fear, to anger, she searched for information but back then, no one talked about breast cancer and little information was available. Moran decided, as a high-profile personality, to keep her breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy private, and in retrospect she feels that was wrong. Five years after the cancer diagnosis, she found herself in counseling working through all the intense emotions she had buried in putting on a strong front and concealing all that she faced as a cancer survivor. Her message is to connect with others, be open, share what is going on.

Moran, now 66, is still going strong and is the published author of numerous fitness and beauty books focusing on women's issues, ageism, health, fitness and beauty; is a sought-after public speaker; and well-known celebrity with more than four decades of work in television and radio. She devotes a considerable amount of time to charities involving cancer, cerebral palsy and older people.

Some women have chosen herbal remedies to relieve menopause symptoms over concerns about health risks associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). One of the herbs used is black cohosh.

After reviewing all the data on black cohosh, used by women to relieve menopausal symptoms of hot flashes, insomnia, excessive sweating, palpitations, headaches, poor sleep, depression, and irritability, Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has decided to require black cohosh products come with a warning about the potential for liver damage.

Are those mini-tropical vacations, aka hot flashes, getting unbearable? Many women have made the decision not to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to reduce hot flashes since news came out stating that women who took HRT were slightly more likely to develop certain illnesses such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and stroke compared with those who didn't take HRT. So what are the options to those unbearable night sweats and those red-faced moments in public that have you fanning your face? Take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and read on.

Certain herbs and supplements such as black cohosh, red clover, and soy products may help relieve hot flashes in some women. However, research in this area has only just begun and the effectiveness and safety of these products have not been proven. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is currently conducting research on these products to examine their ability to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Further research is also needed to determine if these products are safe to take for long periods of time. Acupuncture is another CAM therapy that women have tried and some have found relief. But acupuncture has also not been proven to be helpful with hot flashes at this point.

Overall, the research on acupuncture and hot flashes has not been of very good quality to date and further research is underway to determine if acupuncture might be helpful. Certain relaxation and breathing techniques may be helpful in reducing the severity and frequency of hot flashes. Both the relaxation response technique and a breathing technique that involves slow, deep breathing called paced respiration have been shown in small research studies to be helpful. So keep taking those slow deep breaths. When added with meditation time or yoga it can become quite fun, relaxing, healthy, and can get rid of some of those unwanted mini-tropical vacations.

Sometimes, it is a dizzying stomach lurching head rush roller coaster ride trying to hang on to the handle bar of truth when it comes to the latest in research findings regarding estrogen therapy. It puts women at a higher risk for breast cancer. No, it doesn't show any increased risks for breast cancer. Up and down, loop-de-loop we go.

Originally, studies showed that the estrogen progestin combination of hormone therapy for postmenopausal women did raise the risks for breast cancer. Then, along comes the results from the Women's Health Initiative stating there was no increased risk of breast cancer for women taking estrogen therapy alone, in women who took estrogen therapy for seven years.

Now, a new study, heralded as the study to clear up any confusion, states that postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy and used estrogen therapy for 15 years are indeed at a higher risk for breast cancer. Perhaps we should just accept that hormone therapy is probably not the best solution for any of the reasons women are using it, and seriously start looking at alternative methods. Breast cancer is a high price to pay for any benefit estrogen therapy might provide.

Yesterday, the television news was on in the background as I sat at my computer working. I heard a male newscaster say, "Hooray for HRT!" I stopped to listen to what he meant by the lead-in announcement to the story, because frankly, I thought perhaps he had lost all sense of objectivity. But indeed, he was reporting on the results of a new study, which is part of the NIH-funded Women's Health Initiative, that suggests postmenopausal women who take estrogen as a hormone replacement therapy do not have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

HRT is most often prescribed to relieve menopausal symptoms, and to protect the heart and bones from damage resulting from the natural loss of estrogen women experience during and after menopause. Menopausal symptoms can be major, and for many women, limiting when it comes to quality of life. But for women at risk, or diagnosed with, estrogen-positive breast cancer, HRT would seem, by all rational consideration, not a smart choice.

We have been told that hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women can lead to increased risks for breast cancer. We have been told that hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women does not lead to increased risks for breast cancer. So, is it safe? Or is it dangerous? I don't know, but as a woman with estrogen-positive breast cancer, I am not going to the take a chance by introducing any more estrogen into my body, and frankly, I cannot imagine a doctor who would prescribe it as a therapy for me. To find more in depth information, go here.

According to researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, older women who have smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for at least 11 years face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer as compared to women who have never smoked. To make it worse, women smokers who are on hormone-replacement therapy, HRT, increase their odds of getting breast cancer by 110 percent, and more than double that of women who have never smoked or taken HRT.

"We know that smoking is associated with a lot of diseases, from lung cancer to heart disease, but the association with breast cancer is still somewhat controversial," states Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. "Certainly, the association between smoking and breast cancer is nowhere near as strong as the association between smoking and lung cancer, but breast cancer may be another disease to add to the long list of serious health issues related to smoking." Based on this study, researchers indicate that once a woman stops smoking, within about 10 years of quitting, her risk of breast cancer falls back to that of a woman who has never smoked.