Estrogen and Breast Cancer - The Evolving Mystery

As many women begin the transition throughimpact if you are already at risk of developing breast
menopause a lot of consideration goes into the idea ofcancer. If you fit into any of the categories below -
taking Hormone Replacements - whether it is justthen most physicians would probably agree that you
Estrogen (Estrogen Therapy or ET) or a combinationshould avoid HRT.
of Estrogen and Progesterone (Hormone Therapy orIf you are a breast cancer survivor: The concern is
HT). For the purpose of this article Hormonethat HRT may stimulate the growth of small or hidden
Replacement Therapy (HRT) will refer to both HT andtumors, it is nearly impossible to determine how many
ET.Replacing your hormones with either natural orwomen harbor these hidden cells known as
synthetic (laboratory made) forms of hormones maymicrometastases.If you have a family history of breast
offer some benefit by helping to reduce many of thecancer: It is not clear whether women with a family
symptoms of early menopause - such as, hot flashes,history are at increased risk of developing breast
insomnia, moodiness, and vaginal dryness. As well ascancer when taking HRT and therefore the medical
more serious problems that may result fromcommunity is cautious about recommending it.If you
menopause like weakened bones, andhave a history of: Uterine cancer, Liver disease, Blood
osteoporosis.But as with EVERY pharmaceuticalclots, Undiagnosed vaginal bleeding or Heart disease.
product made to help relieve pain or discomfort thereOne major consideration when contemplating HRT
are risks, and hormone therapy is not without them.should be whether or not you are at a higher than
What's important is that your unique health history andaverage risk of developing breast cancer. Some other
risk factors are discussed with your doctor to bestminor factors that may increase your cancer risk are
determine whether or not HT or ET is the best optionweight gain and women who experience menopause
for you.Estrogens Impact on the BreastWhat youlater in life than average.HRT - A Personal
have to recognize is that the scientific community isDecisionHRT is really a personal choice - there is no
just beginning to realize the uniqueness of everyright or wrong answer. While some women may not
woman's hormone profile. The effect of HRT on onewant to accept the risks associated with HRT others
of your female friends may be vastly different frommay want to. Each woman must decide for herself,
the effect they have on you. This is why there is suchwith input from her doctor, the best course of action.
a large amount of variation in what each womanBoth patient and doctor should be comfortable with
experiences as they transition through menopause.the decision to take HRT or to pursue other
This is also one of the greatest challenges thattreatments.If you do decide to try HRT make sure you
Doctor's and Scientist face in their effort to understandwork closely with your doctor - prescribing the right
the affects HRT has on the female breast.Probablydosage may sometimes turn into a bit of a guessing
the biggest concern women have about HRT is thegame. Keep your doctor informed as to how you are
increased risk of that dreaded disease - Breastfeeling and whether or not you think it is helping. The
Cancer! Breast cancer risk, like many diseases,best thing you can do is actually keep a journal and
increases with age for women, but it is not specificallytrack the symptoms that you're hoping HRT will help
affected by menopause. Unfortunately, recent studieswith. The lower the dosages and the shorter the
have generated a lot of conflicting data between HRTduration is best if you are worried about increased
and breast cancer risk.But, before I go into the risk ofbreast cancer risk. But again your personal situation
developing breast cancers from HRT, it is importantshould be discussed in detail with your doctor, if you
that you understand how Estrogen and Progesteronehave another medical condition where the benefits
hormones affect your body, or more particularly, yourHRT provide outweigh the increased breast cancer
breasts.There are two primary thoughts on howrisk, then HRT should be considered.If HRT is not for
cancer develops in the breast. One is that canceryou - you are not without help. Thanks to all the
tends to appear in fast growing tissue - Estrogen (andongoing research, new therapies and alternatives are
Progesterone) can cause breast tissue to grow at abeing investigated every day and have proven
faster rate - therefore this may be one way Estrogensuccessful for many women. But a word of warning -
is related to developing breast cancer. A secondsince this is a very new field, don't necessarily believe
theory is that when estrogen is broken down in breastevery thing you hear and read. There are a lot of
tissue the resultant compounds may bind to geneticcompanies trying to take advantage of this relatively
material (DNA) and damage it. Damaged DNA is anew market. And since a lot of the herbal remedies
common cause of cancers. For the moment - theseare not regulated by the FDA some companies will
are two primary theories on how HRT may increasepackage almost anything with no regard for scientific
the development of breast cancer.Understand that thedata to back up their claims. Look for resources that
scientific community is hard at work trying to unravelare impartial and companies that provide actual data to
the link between Estrogen and Breast Cancer -- or ifsupport what they are claiming.Lastly, I personally am
there is even really a link -- but good science takesan advocate of a healthy diet and active lifestyle to
time. There are so many variables (like medical historybeat menopausal symptoms and weight gain -- you
and diet) in every study that it is impossible to blameshould know that every clinical study I have read has
ET or HT alone for breast cancer. Although the resultsshown that these two factors are proven to ease the
of many clinical trials does show that HRT MAYmenopause transition by regulating hormones naturally.
increase the risk of developing breast cancer.The RiskAnd with no increased risk of breast cancer -- actually
FactorsAs a result of the various studies and clinicaleating the right foods will help prevent breast cancer
trials done, one thing is for sure, many more studies willas well as many other types of cancer and disease.
need to be done before we unravel the mystery ofSo regardless of your HRT decision -- the first step
HRT and breast cancer. In the mean time be aware ofyou should take when it comes to helping yourself is to
the fact that:eat a proper macronutrient profile and get that body of
Breast cancer risk is increased with the use of ET,yours moving!Jenny May and Health Thru Fitness, LLC
and to a greater extent with HT, use beyond 5 years.focus on researching, developing, and implementing
And observational data suggest a slight potentialfitness and health strategies that the menopausal
increase for breast cancer with HRT use for less thanwoman, as well as women of all ages, can apply to
five years.By how much the risk is increased is nottheir current physical status. To learn more about the
exactly clear at this point and will likely vary dependingJenny May Principles check out and You are welcome
on each woman's unique genetic makeup, diet andto use this article for your website or newsletter
exposure to various environmental factors. Obviously,provided that you include the above stated bio and
the risk factor of taking HRT has a much greaterwebsite links.