This question is probably the most common one we face in menopause conversations, as the media has led us to believe for the past 20+ years that HRT is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
Many studies have been carried out to consider this question, but all of the studies are imperfect and, in some cases, inaccurate and misleading, and most of them are not applicable to the types of HRT we use most nowadays, i.e., body identical HRT.
There may be a very small risk associated with older types of HRT, but even this has not been clearly demonstrated. The most important thing to consider is that there are many lifestyle factors that affect our risk of breast cancer, e.g., exercise, alcohol and our weight. Menopause can cause us to have less healthy lifestyles (due to the challenging symptoms), and being able to tackle these issues will have a far greater impact on our breast cancer risk than whether we use HRT or not.
Last updated: May 2026
