Is HRT Safe? Everything You Need to Know

A few key take outs around the issue of “is HRT safe?”, from this brilliantly useful article by one of the UK’s leading menopause experts, Dr Louise Newson. If you’re one of the many women who are wondering if it’s better to use HRT or not, or does HRT cause breast cancer, then you need to read this.

The article points out that:

• The benefits of HRT outweigh the risks.

• If you have concerns about whether or not HRT causes breast cancer, the risk with taking combined HRT is very small. Dr Newson’s Menopause Charity also has this brilliant factsheet about HRT and the risks if you have a family history of breast cancer.

• HRT is the most effective treatment for many menopause symptoms, including anxiety and hot flushes.

• You can start HRT while you’re still having regular periods.

• HRT has long-term health benefits, like reducing your risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

With so many scare mongering HRT headlines and so many academic reports, it’s not surprising that women are confused. And scared.

In the UK, the situation is improving (slowly). The menopause conversation is getting louder and the Government has recently announced that low dose HRT will be available without a prescription. Women in the UK can now also apply for the new NHS HRT Prepayment Certificate. For an annual fee of £19.30, it means that all HRT prescriptions (excluding testosterone) are free.

But women remain confused and distressed about the lack of HRT information. Which is why Dr Louise Newson’s evidence-based advice is so valuable. (She has a new book out if you want to read more from her.)

This is the only HRT advice you need.

What is HRT?

It is really important to get to grip with the HRT facts. All types of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) contain an oestrogen hormone. Taking HRT replaces the oestrogen that your ovaries no longer make after the menopause. Even low levels of HRT can have benefits in your body and improve your symptoms of the menopause.

READ MORE What is the difference between perimenopause and menopause?

What are the negatives of taking HRT?

Many women feel confused about the different types of HRT and also about the benefits and risks of HRT. That’s why it is important to digest HRT facts, and make sure your individual health is taken into consideration by your doctor when discussing HRT.

HRT is actually much safer than most people realise.

Some women may choose not to take HRT or others may not be able to take HRT due to an underlying medical condition. There are alternatives. If you are not sure whether or not you can take HRT then you should discuss this with your doctor who may decide to refer you to an expert in the menopause.

HRT is actually much safer than most people realise.

What are the signs that you need hormone replacement therapy?

HRT is the most effective treatment available to relieve symptoms caused by the menopause such as hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, mood swings and bladder symptoms.

For the vast majority of women under 60 years, the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks. HRT is also recommended for young women to take following an early menopause and they need to take it until they are at least 51 years.

READ MORE 34 of the most common menopause symptoms

How long do you take HRT for?

There is no set length of time that you should take HRT for. Some women take it for a few years to help improve their symptoms of the menopause. Some women decide to take HRT for a much longer period of time. It is usually an individual decision between yourself and your doctor regarding the length of time you will take HRT.

READ MORE The link between menopause and anxiety.

When should you start taking HRT?

Many women wait until their symptoms are really troublesome or even unbearable before starting HRT. However, based on HRT facts, taking HRT early really will make a difference to your symptoms (and quality of life) and also lead to a greater improvement in your heart and bone health.

HRT is not a contraception. If you still require contraception, then you should talk to your doctor about the options available to you.

What is the safest form of HRT?

HRT is available as tablets, skin patches or gel. The patches are usually changed twice a week and the gel is applied to your skin daily. The tablets are usually taken daily.

If you still have a womb (uterus) it is important that a progestogen is combined with the oestrogen. When you take oestrogen the lining of your womb can build up which can increase your risk of cancer. However, taking progestogen completely reverses this risk.

If you are still having regular periods, then you will be given a type of HRT than still gives you a monthly period (technically a withdrawal bleed). This type of HRT needs to be taken for around a year.

If you have not had a period for one year or if you have taken HRT for one year then it is likely you will be given a type of HRT which does not give you a period. It can be common and completely normal to have some light bleeding or spotting in the first few months of using this type of HRT. However, if you experience heavy or prolonged vaginal bleeding then you need to inform your doctor.

There are many different preparations of HRT and if one type does not suit you then it is very likely that another type will suit you.

If you have a history of a clot, migraine, diabetes or liver disease then you can still take HRT but it is likely that you will be recommended to use a patch or gel rather than a tablet. This is a safer and associated with fewer risks compared to having the tablet form of oestrogen. The progestogen is usually still given as a tablet though.

There are many different preparations of HRT and if one type does not suit you then it is very likely that another type will suit you.

Does being on the Pill have the same risks as HRT?

Whilst being similar hormones, HRT doses are lower and less potent so the effects are not the same.

What are the benefits of HRT?

There are many benefits of taking HRT. Many women describe that it has given them their lives back and once they have the right balance and strength of HRT then they are delighted.

HRT works really well to improve menopausal symptoms. In addition, it can help to reduce the health risks associated with the menopause.

READ MORE What causes menopause brain fog?

How quickly does HRT make a difference?

Many women find that all their symptoms of the menopause improve within a few months of taking HRT. They often notice that their sleep improves, their mood improves and their concentration recovers. They also often notice that their energy is much greater than it was before they started taking HRT.

HRT works really well to improve menopausal symptoms. In addition, it can help to reduce the health risks associated with the menopause.

HRT usually works to stop hot flushes and night sweats within a few weeks. In addition, HRT will reverse many of the changes around your vagina and vulva usually within one to three months. However, it can take up to a year of treatment in some cases.

This means that HRT can improve symptoms of vaginal dryness, improve discomfort during sexual intercourse, help to reduce recurrent urine infections and also improve any increased frequency of passing urine.

READ MORE The links between perimenopause, HRT and sex drive.

You may find that any aches or pains in your joints improve and also that the texture of your hair and skin improve when taking HRT.

Is there a link between HRT and heart disease?

HRT does not increase your risk of heart disease when it is started if you are under 60 years. In addition, it does not affect your risk of dying from heart disease.

There is some evidence that taking HRT, especially HRT with oestrogen alone, actually reduces your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (meaning heart attacks and strokes) in women. The benefits are greatest in those women who start HRT within ten years of their menopause.

HRT can also lower your cholesterol levels which is beneficial for your heart and body.

The benefits of HRT are greatest in those women who start HRT within ten years of their menopause.

What are the other benefits of taking HRT?

Taking HRT can prevent and reverse the bone loss that occurs, even for those women who take low doses of HRT. This means that taking HRT reduces your risk of having a fracture due to osteoporosis. This benefit is maintained during treatment but does reduce when you stop taking HRT. However, there is some evidence that this reduction in risk of fracture persists for a length of time even when you stop taking HRT.

Some studies have shown a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia in women who take HRT. However, other studies have not shown this, so more work needs to be done in this area. In addition, some studies have also shown a reduction in risk of bowel cancer in women who take HRT. However, the evidence for this is still not completely clear.

Are there any risks with taking HRT?

Many women are scared or worried about HRT because of the risks of taking it. There has been a huge amount of media attention regarding the risks of taking HRT. This was after the results of some large studies about HRT were published over a decade ago. These studies raised concerns over the safety of HRT, particularly over a possible increased risk of breast cancer with HRT and also a possible increased risk of heart disease. However, these studies have actually been shown to be inaccurate and flawed. The media coverage often got in the way of HRT facts.

Even the more recent study published in 2016 still demonstrated that in those women taking the worst type of HRT the risk of developing breast cancer was still greater if they are overweight or do not exercise compared with the risk of taking HRT. Over the past few years there have been other studies which have shown how safe HRT is.

What lifestyle changes can be made to reduce the risks?

Your actual risk of developing the diseases mentioned below depends on many factors (such as your age, family history and general health) so not just whether or not you take HRT. This is why is it very important for your doctor to discuss your individual risks and benefits of taking HRT.

You can greatly reduce your risk of developing heart disease, stroke and many cancers by not smoking and by taking regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. These conditions become more common anyway with advancing age.

READ MORE What is the connection between HRT and alcohol.

Is there a link between HRT and breast cancer?

This is the risk that most women worry about with HRT. You may have a small increased risk of breast cancer if you take some types of HRT. However, if you are only taking oestrogen only HRT then studies have shown that you actually have a lower risk of breast cancer.

The actual risk of breast cancer with taking combined HRT is actually very small.

Taking combined (oestrogen and progestogen) HRT may be associated with a small increased risk of developing breast cancer. This risk increases the longer you have used HRT. When you stop taking HRT, you have the same risk of breast cancer as someone who has not taken HRT.

The actual risk of breast cancer with taking combined HRT is actually very small. This risk is similar to the risk of breast cancer in women who are obese, those women who have never had children and also those women who drink two to three units of alcohol each day.

There has never been a study which has shown there is an increased risk of dying from breast cancer in women who take HRT. This risk varies depending on the type of progestogen you are given with your HRT.

Any increased risk of breast cancer is reversed when you stop taking HRT. This is why it is important to keep on top of the HRT facts.

There has never been a study which has shown there is an increased risk of dying from breast cancer in women who take HRT.

Most of the studies done in this area have not actually shown an increased risk of breast cancer in women who take HRT for five years or less. Women who take combined HRT have an increased risk of having an abnormal mammogram, as HRT can increase the density of your breast tissue. This is not the same as increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Note: There is no increased risk of breast cancer in women who take HRT under the age of 51 years.

Do you put on weight with HRT?

There is no evidence for this, and it has more to do with coincidental timing. Menopause occurs at an age where your metabolism naturally slows down and hormonal changes will mean that weight will settle around your abdomen.

READ MORE Does HRT cause weight gain?

Can HRT cause clots in the veins (venous thromboembolism)?

This is a blood clot that can cause a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In some women this clot may travel to your lung and cause a pulmonary embolism (PE). Together, DVT and PE are known as venous thromboembolism. Women who take combined HRT as tablets have an increased risk of developing a clot. You are more likely to develop a clot if you have other risk factors for a clot. These include being obese, having a clot in the past and being a smoker.

However, this risk of clot is not present in women who use patches or gel rather than tablets of HRT.

Can HRT cause strokes?

Some studies have shown that there is a small increased risk of stroke in women taking either oestrogen-only or combined HRT.

However, there is no increased risk of stroke in women who use the patch (or gel) rather than tablets. In addition, oral HRT containing lower doses of oestrogen seems to be associated with a lower risk of stroke compared to those containing higher doses. Most women under the age of 60 years actually have a very low risk of stroke.

Does HRT have any side effects?

Side-effects with HRT are more likely to occur when you first start taking HRT and then they usually settle with time. The most common side effects you may experience in the first few weeks of taking HRT are a feeling of sickness (nausea), some breast discomfort or leg cramps. These tend to go within a few months if you continue to take HRT.

The most common side effects you may experience in the first few weeks of taking HRT are a feeling of sickness (nausea), some breast discomfort or leg cramps.

Some women find that certain makes of HRT skin patches cause irritation of their skin. A change to a different brand or type of HRT may help if side-effects occur. Various oestrogens and progestogens are used in the different brands. If you have a side-effect with one brand, it may not occur with a different one. Changing the delivery method of HRT (for example, from a tablet to a patch) may also really help if you develop any side-effects.

If you are considering taking HRT then the lowest effective dose of HRT should be taken. You should have regular follow-up to decide whether you still need HRT and remind yourself of the HRT facts. If you are still experiencing menopausal symptoms on HRT then your dose of HRT will probably be increased.

Should testosterone be taken as well?

Testosterone is another one of the sex hormones that you produce. Many people think of it as the “male” hormone, which is correct, but women need to have testosterone too. In fact, women produce three times as much testosterone than oestrogen before the menopause. Testosterone is made in your ovaries and also your adrenal glands, which are small glands near your kidneys. Many women have low levels of testosterone as they go through the menopause.

Testosterone can be beneficial at improving your mood, energy, concentration and also sex drive (or libido). Low levels in your body are usually diagnosed by a blood test. Testosterone is usually given as a gel on your skin or sometimes an implant. The dose of testosterone is very low so it will not cause facial hair growth. Testosterone is usually given by a doctor who specialises in the menopause.

Does HRT delay the menopause?

HRT does not delay menopause. It makes menopause symptoms less severe and more manageable at a time when women are likely to be busy juggling both families and a career. When you stop taking HRT, it does not mean your symptoms will return.

If your symptoms return when you stop taking HRT this is not an effect of taking hormones, this is because you would still be having symptoms of the menopause at that time if you had never taken HRT.

Find out more about Dr Louise Newson and the Newson Health Menopause and Wellbeing Centre at Menopausedoctor.co.uk