‘My doctor says I have been on HRT for 10 years and therefore I should come off as the risks start to go up after 10 years of use. I went on Hormone replacement as I had a hysterectomy at 40 and suffered from menopausal symptoms‘
I’m often asked in my clinic about the length of time you can take HRT for? The data for a slight potential increase of breast cancer after 10 years of HRT use starts after the age of 50. We, therefore, count 10 years of use after 50 as this is around the time when our hormones shut down.
Under 50 if we are getting hormone replacement, it is only mimicking our own hormones that we would have if a premature decline of hormones had not happened. So for argument’s sake, your 10-year stint starts now and in fact, does not quite apply to you as you have reduced risk due to only needing estrogen. This is due to the absence of the womb so you don’t need progestin for womb lining protection. There is a suggestion that this factor is perhaps related to the very slight increase in risk which has to be balanced against the many preventative and quality of life benefits of estrogen.