The Wellness Forum Health research and scientific study data is based on years of studies.
Dr Popper states: "the most important contributor to our success, by far, has been how careful we –and particularly I as the public face of Wellness Forum, have been in curating the information we distribute to the public and the decision tools we prepare and make available to our members. We have been super cautious to make sure that anything we report is accurate according to agreed-upon standards that we established almost 30 years ago. As a result, during the past three decades, we have not had to take down or retract anything we’ve said or published. "
Case in point: the FDA’s recent change in policy regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The agency instructed drug companies to change the labels on hormone replacement products and remove references to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and dementia.
The agency claims that "…starting HRT within ten years of the onset of menopause can have numerous benefits which for most women outweigh potential risks." The announcement cites an analysis of 30 trials with 26,708 women to support its claims. FDA also claims that women may be "underutilizing" HRT due to the black box warnings about risks, which are now removed. Women are encouraged to talk with their doctors concerning HRT so they can make the best decisions about their health.[1]
During the last 30 years, we’ve worked with tens of thousands of people all over the world, and I can count on one hand the number of members who have reported that their doctors have properly informed them of the risks and benefits of any test or treatment. In fact, the most common statement from new members continues to be, "If I had known then what I know now, I never would have… (had this test, taken this supplement, agreed to take this drug or have this procedure.)"
Regarding the prescribing of HRT, women tell us that they either asked for HRT and their doctors were willing to write the script without any discussion, or that HRT was aggressively sold to them by doctors for symptom relief without any mention of risks. Additionally, doctors generally do not tell women that their hot flashes and other uncomfortable symptoms of resolve in a few weeks with a better diet, weight loss, and exercise – and that there are no risks associated with this choice.
WFH will soon issue an analysis of the data FDA claims justifies this change of policy. But for now, I’ll share some of the data from our library that women should see before making a decision about these risky products.
A 2019 analysis concluded that taking any type of hormone therapy for the treatment of menopause symptoms increases the risk of breast cancer. Even once discontinued, the risk remains higher for a year, with risk level dependent on how long the hormones are taken.[2]
The analysis included 58 studies with over 143,887 postmenopausal women with invasive breast cancer (cases) and 424,972 women without breast cancer (controls). For women who developed breast cancer, the average age at menopause was 50, and the average age at which hormone therapy began was also age 50.
Hysterectomy was the main determinant of the type of hormone therapy; most women who had hysterectomy took a combination estrogen/progesterone product, while women who did not have a hysterectomy were more likely to take an estrogen-only product.
According to co-author Gillian Reeves, PhD, hormone therapy for 10 years results in a two times higher risk of breast cancer as compared with taking hormones for 5 years.
Risk was higher for combination estrogen/progestin products, particularly if progestin was taken daily as opposed to intermittently.
Here is a breakdown of the data:
During the last 30 years, we’ve worked with tens of thousands of people all over the world, and I can count on one hand the number of members who have reported that their doctors have properly informed them of the risks and benefits of any test or treatment. In fact, the most common statement from new members continues to be, "If I had known then what I know now, I never would have… (had this test, taken this supplement, agreed to take this drug or have this procedure.)"
Regarding the prescribing of HRT, women tell us that they either asked for HRT and their doctors were willing to write the script without any discussion, or that HRT was aggressively sold to them by doctors for symptom relief without any mention of risks. Additionally, doctors generally do not tell women that their hot flashes and other uncomfortable symptoms of resolve in a few weeks with a better diet, weight loss, and exercise – and that there are no risks associated with this choice.
WFH will soon issue an analysis of the data FDA claims justifies this change of policy. But for now, I’ll share some of the data from our library that women should see before making a decision about these risky products.
A 2019 analysis concluded that taking any type of hormone therapy for the treatment of menopause symptoms increases the risk of breast cancer. Even once discontinued, the risk remains higher for a year, with risk level dependent on how long the hormones are taken.[2]
The analysis included 58 studies with over 143,887 postmenopausal women with invasive breast cancer (cases) and 424,972 women without breast cancer (controls). For women who developed breast cancer, the average age at menopause was 50, and the average age at which hormone therapy began was also age 50.
Hysterectomy was the main determinant of the type of hormone therapy; most women who had hysterectomy took a combination estrogen/progesterone product, while women who did not have a hysterectomy were more likely to take an estrogen-only product.
According to co-author Gillian Reeves, PhD, hormone therapy for 10 years results in a two times higher risk of breast cancer as compared with taking hormones for 5 years.
Risk was higher for combination estrogen/progestin products, particularly if progestin was taken daily as opposed to intermittently.
Here is a breakdown of the data:
- Risk was higher for women taking combination estrogen/progesterone drugs, higher in current vs past users, and increased in both current and past users based on duration of use.
- Taking hormones for five years starting at age 50 would increase the risk of breast cancer by one in every 50 women who took estrogen/progestin daily, and one in every 70 users for women who took estrogen and intermittent progestin, and one in every 200 women who took estrogen alone.
- Five-year daily use of estrogen/progestin beginning at age 50 would increase 20-year risk from 6.3% to 8.3%, for an additional 2 diagnoses per 100 women.
- Daily use of estrogen and intermittent progestin results in increased risk of 1.4 cases per 100 women
- While risk began at one year, for women who took hormones for an extended period of time, increased risk persisted for over 10 years after discontinuation of the drugs.
Few women in the data set had started taking hormone therapy in their 30s, but for those who were still taking either estrogen/progesterone combinations or estrogen alone, the risk of developing breast cancer was significantly higher than the controls.
The authors report that about 75% of all breast cancer cases and deaths in postmenopausal women are estrogen receptor-positive, and that estrogen levels are a strong predictor of breast cancer.
At the time this review was published, about 12 million women were taking hormone therapy for menopause. The researchers report that these data indicate that as many as one million women have developed breast cancer as a result of taking menopausal hormone products since 1990 in Westernized countries.
The authors also note that fat cells produce hormones converted to estrogen in the bloodstream by aromatase, an enzyme. Research shows that postmenopausal women who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer, even if they do not take supplemental hormones. Overweight and obese women who take hormones have an increased risk over and above the risk associated with their weight status.
It is true that the increased risk is relatively low, but most women are not told that HRT increases their risk at all. Yet as soon as postmenopausal women who take hormones are diagnosed with breast cancer, they are told to stop taking hormones immediately.
Any risk is too high since the unpleasant symptoms that are usually the reason for starting HRT can be successfully addressed with diet and lifestyle change. Usually, within just a few weeks, symptoms begin to dissipate and they eventually disappear. Additionally, symptoms of menopause that are significant enough to require intervention are a sign that something is wrong. Treating the symptoms instead of the cause postpones addressing poor health status, sometimes for a long period of time. This can result in the development of more serious diseases; not only breast cancer but also heart disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, and many other conditions.
Menopause is a natural process that takes place in all women as they age. It is not a disease to be treated with drugs or supplements. Adopting optimal habits is the best way to prevent and to address discomfort associated with menopause.
If this is a subject that you would like to investigate further, please contact me.
[1] US Department of Health and Human Services. FACT SHEET: FDA Initiates Removal of "Black Box" Warnings from Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy Products." https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-fda-initiates-removal-of-black-box-warnings-from-menopausal-hormone-replacement-therapy-products.html accessed 11.14.2025
[2] Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer. "Type and timing of menopausal hormone therapy and breast cancer risk: individual participant meta-analysis of the worldwide epidemiological evidence." Lancet 2019 Sep;394(10204):1159-1168
[1] US Department of Health and Human Services. FACT SHEET: FDA Initiates Removal of "Black Box" Warnings from Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy Products." https://www.hhs.gov/press-
[2] Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer. "Type and timing of menopausal hormone therapy and breast cancer risk: individual participant meta-analysis of the worldwide epidemiological evidence." Lancet 2019 Sep;394(10204):1159-1168
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