| Gynecology - Gynecology Articles |
HRT risks
- Increased risk of endometrial cancer in women with a uterus.
- Slightly increased risk of breast cancer after 4 or more years of HRT. Estrogen alone or other HRT regimens may not raise the risk of breast cancer significantly.
- Increased breast density, making mammograms more difficult to interpret and possibly increasing breast cancer risk.
- Slightly increased risk of ovarian cancer
- Slightly increased risk of blood clots.
- Increased risk of gallbladder disease.
- Slightly increased risk of heart attack or stroke, both in women with cardiovascular disease and in healthy women.
- Asthma. Women who take HRT have a slightly higher risk for developing asthma later in life
- Gallstones. Women who take high doses of estrogen are at higher risk for developing gallstones..
- Dementia. Contrary to what was previously thought, research currently shows that HRT has no beneficial effect on mental functioning and may increase the risk of dementia later in life
Other possible negative effects of HRT may include:
- Breast pain (often a temporary problem)
- Nausea
- Bloating and fluid retention, primarily associated with progestins
- Negative effects on mood, primarily associated with progestins
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
Your doctor may recommend that you not take HRT if you have:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Liver disease
- Seizures
- Breast cancer
- Migraine & headaches
- A history of cancer
- A mother who took DES (diethylstilbestrol) during pregnancy. DES was given to women from the 1940s through the 1960s to prevent miscarriage, and it later was found to cause changes to the reproductive system in the daughters of women who took it.