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POP pill and HRT

Raccel123
Offline

Good morning I’m 47 years old and been suffering with menopausal symptoms the last couple years with raised FSH levels of around 57, I’m on the mini pill Cerrazette And have been on it for the last six years I know it thins the lining of the uterus to avoid uterine cancer But at the same time I’ve been researching and it says it could slightly increase the risk of breast cancer which I wasn’t aware of but if I was to totally stop the pill I know I would have to use alternative contraception, Would I need some kind of medication to protect the lining of the womb or can I safely come off the pill? I’ve been given combined HRT but I’m 50-50 know whether to take it Given my family history my mother passed away last year from breast cancer aged 64 and although new research proves that taking HRT doesn't increase breast cancer and the benefits outweigh the risks I'm still a bit worried about taking it, please can you give me some advice from the community point of view and maybe from a cancer reasearch point of view, If I have no history I probably wouldn't give it a second thought but the something in the back of my mind thanks

  • Hello and thank you for yuor post,

    I am sorry but we are not the best people to say if you should take HRT or not. This can really only be discussed with the doctor that knows you best, this will be your GP. 

    Taking contraceptives and HRT can increase the risk of breast cancer for some women. However, the risk will be different in every women and for some this might be contradicted (not advisable to take) because of their personal risk of developing cancer or be very low. However, I do think that if your family history of breast cancer was strong that your GP would not have considered HRT for you. 

    I also don't know if you need to be concerned about the thickness of your womb and whether this needs to be considered when prescribing the mini pill and/or HRT. This will depend on whether it was prescribed for contraceptive reasons and/or to keep the lining of your womb thinner.  If it was just prescribed for contraceptive reasons then it is likely to be OK to stop it. We have information about the risk of breast cancer in relation to the contraceptive pill and HRT on our website, it is up to date and evidence based so if you have not see it it would be to read it, you can see it here 

    You might also find it helpful to contact another charity called Menopause Matters, they have more information about the menopause, you can see their website here 

    I hope this has been of some help and that you will be okay.

    Take care,

    Caroline 

  • Offline in reply to CRUK Nurse Caroline

    Thanks so much for taking the time to come back to me Caroline, my risk is moderate with a lifetime risk of 25.9% from the genetics, and I had to battle with my GP for 12 months to get the HRT, I provided factual based info from studies from Louise Newson and Naomi potter but still in the back of my mind there’s a little niggle putting me off taking it, I know the lifetime benefits it has is good to prevent Diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, dementia, but I’m worried that the chemicals in the HRT could attach to receptors just making my risk even more higher, so my risk would be lower by not taking it is that correct? let’s say I don’t take the HRT and I’m only taking the POP Cerrazette, does that increase the risk of breast cancer? As I’ve been on it 6 years and wasn’t aware of this? I know the pill thins the lining of the womb which is a good thing but say I totally stopped the POP will my womb be protected? As surely lots of women 40+ don’t take oral contraception 

     

    Sorry for the questions but would love to hear back 

     

  • in reply to Raccel123

    Thank you for getting back to us.

    I will do my best to answer your questions but please be aware we are cancer nurses and are unable to tell anyone their individual risk of developing cancer. The average women's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 15% (this is for women born after 1960) , you have been told by the genetics team that your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 25.9%. Taking combined HRT can increase anyone's risk, but by how much we cannot tell you, I don't think anyone can. 

    Cerrazette is a mini contraceptive pill so only contains progesterone. It's role in increasing the risk of cancer is not as established as that of the combined contraceptive pill, however we say that research has so far not linked ovarian cancer or womb cancer to progestogen-only products. You can read more about contraceptive pills on our website here.

    Combined (oestrogen and progesterone) HRT (this is what is usually offered to women who have a womb) can reduce womb cancer risk but it can cause an increase in breast cancer risk. You can read more about HRT and cancer risks here.

    Please remember that you can also contact the charity Menopause Matters too.

    I think knowing that something is a risk factor can make decisions about treatment difficult so please do discuss your risk with your GP.

    You are welcome to give us a call on our freephone number  0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday. 

    Take care

    Caroline

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