If you have been told ‘’no to systemic HRT’’ by your oncologist or surgeon, it can make you feel as if you have no options. In response, you may want to know more – to weigh up your own individual risks and benefits of going on HRT – just to get the facts.
Every woman is different and whether you want to explore HRT after breast cancer will vary from one woman to another.
It will depend on the severity of your symptoms, what you have tried so far, and on you – the patient. Some women are many years on from their primary diagnosis and want to have a conversation about how HRT might benefit them. It is important that you get the information you need at the time that is right for you. A ‘‘sorry, HRT is not for you’’ answer is not good enough.
It is important to be aware of the latest findings from research into HRT use after a cancer diagnosis. We spoke to Mr. Talaulikar – Associate Specialist at the Reproductive Medicine Unit, and Associate Professor in Women’s Health at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has published widely in the area of reproductive medicine and explains to us what we know, what we don’t know, and how he handles this conversation in his day-to-day practice.
Some of the topics include:
- Why do we have opposing opinions when it comes to the use of HRT after breast cancer?
- How do Tamoxifen and Aromatase Inhibitors work? And why is this important here?
- Which randomised trials have been done?
- Why it has to be a woman’s choice.
- How do we include our medical team into our conversations about HRT?
Tune into the episode on the Menopause And Cancer Podcast here:
Written by: Dani Binnington
