HRT will not shorten lives, women told after new research published

Women will be able to take hormone replacement pills without worrying that the therapy will shorten their lifespans, according to the longest follow-up yet of research that raised fears about the risks of a once-popular treatment.

That earlier research was stopped early when unexpected harm was found to be caused by the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – oestrogen alone or in combination with progestin, a synthetic hormone.

More cases of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke occurred in women on combined pills, and those on oestrogen pills had more strokes.

But about 18 years of follow-up research has shown that, despite those risks, women on HRT had similar rates of deaths from breast cancer, heart disease and all other causes as those who took placebos.

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