Flawed studies linking hormone therapy to breast cancer made doctors reluctant to prescribe it for menopause relief – especially for breast cancer survivors

Description

Hormone therapy can have many benefits for menopausal people. Despite this, prescriptions steeply declined after the Women’s Health Initiative – the largest and longest-running study on women’s health in the U.S. since the early 1990s – found an increased risk of breast cancer among those on menopausal hormone therapy. This created substantial fear around using hormone therapy among providers and patients alike.

However, inconsistencies and biases in the study’s findings have arisen over the years, leading researchers to scrutinize the data more closely. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration began removing the black box warnings – which signal serious health risks – on hormone therapy for menopause in November 2025.

Author

Versha Pleasant

Publication Date

July 30, 2026

Publication

The Conversation

Source

https://theconversation.com/flawed-studies-linking-hormone-therapy-to-breast-cancer-made-doctors-reluctant-to-prescribe-it-for-menopause-relief-especially-for-breast-cancer-survivors-277352

Language

English