HRT - hormone replacement therapy

Overall, the excess estimated incidence of breast cancer, stroke, and pulmonary embolism (compared with non-users) was 1 in 170 for healthy women aged 50-59 years taking HRT for five years; this was balanced by an estimated reduction in incidence of colorectal cancer and fractured neck of femur of 1 in 600 users. For healthy women in their 60s, the excess risk of breast cancer, stroke, and pulmonary embolism was 1 in 80, with a reduction in colorectal cancer and fractured femur of 1 in 180 users

Hereis an easy over view of recent evidence about HRT

Although the WHI trial results are reported primarily in terms of relative risk, the absolute risk of harm to an individual woman is very small: Among 10,000 women taking the drug for a year, there will be 7 more coronary heart disease events, 8 more invasive breast cancers, 8 more strokes, and 8 more pulmonary emboli, but 6 fewer colorectal cancers and 5 fewer hip fractures. When counting all events over the 5.2 years of the trial, the excess number of events in the active drug group was 100 per 10 000 (or 1 in 100 women). This is still a small risk, but it demonstrates that risks from the drug add up over time.