Some big news for women who are on hormone replacement therapy.
Scientists, from the National Institute of Health... have conducted the nation's largest study of the therapy ... saying, LONG- term use of Estrogen and Progestin ... can actually increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes ... in otherwise healthy menopausal women.
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News Specialist Coco Warner has more on the story.
Six million American women use this hormone combination, either for short-term relief of hot flashes-- or because of doctors' long-standing assumptions that long-term use would prevent heart disease and generally keep women healthier longer.
An assumption that turned out to be false...
Dr. Matthew Peterson/U of U Dir. of Reproductive Endrinology and Infertility:"I THINK IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PATIENTS BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH ANYTHING THEY DO, WHETHER THAT BE MEDICAL OR SURGICAL."
Don't panic... that advice comes from University of Utah doctor Matthew Peterson.
He says results from studies in the past several years have been pointing to today's conclusion: Hormone replacement therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer in some women-- and will not decrease the risk of heart problems.
Dr. Matthew Peterson/U of U Dir. of Reproductive Endrinology and Infertility:"IT'S WORTHWHILE FOR WOMEN TO VISIT WITH THEIR PHYSICIAN AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE UP TO DATE ON WHAT WE'VE LEARNED AND WHERE WE ARE WITH REGARDS TO HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY."
The study included more than 16-thousand healthy women with intact uteruses between the ages of 50 and 79.
They were given either a placebo or Prempro, the most popular estrogen-progestin combination.
The trial was supposed to last 8 1/2 years, but was stopped shortly after 5-- because according to the study-- the hormones proved harmful in a number of areas.
They increased previously healthy women's risk of a heart attack by 29-percent, a stroke by a 41-percent and breast cancer by 26 percent.
But even if you have been under therapy-- your personal risk is still fairly small.
In one year, for every 10-thousand women who take the combination there will be eight more breast cancers, eight more strokes and seven more heart attacks.
On the positive side, the hormones lowered the risk of colon cancer and hip fractures.
Dr. Margery Gass/North American Menopause Society:"SHORT-TERM THERAPY WOULD BE ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO FOUR YEARS. WE THINK THE RISKS ARE FAIRLY LOW AT THAT POINT. BUT I STILL THINK IT PRUDENT FOR A WOMAN TO REVIEW ALL OF THESE RISKS AND BENEFITS IN MAKING THAT DECISION AND TO REVIEW THOSE WITH HER CLINICIAN."
What about women who use estrogen alone? The N-I-H is letting a 2nd, smaller study of those women continue for now, saying so far the balance of risks and benefits remains uncertain.
Only women who have had hysterectomies can use estrogen alone, because it causes uterine cancer unless balanced by progestin.
