SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A new study finds that women who take menopause hormones for five years double their risk for breast cancer.
The new analysis of a big federal study reveals the most dramatic evidence yet of the dangers of these still-popular pills. Even women who took estrogen and progestin pills for as little as a couple of years had a greater chance of getting cancer. And when they stopped taking them, their odds quickly improved, returning to a normal risk level roughly two years after quitting.
Collectively, these new findings are likely to end any doubt that the risks outweigh the benefits for most women. Results from the study by the Women's Health Initiative were announced today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
