Does hormone replacement therapy increase your chances for breast cancer expotentionally?

Not exponentially: Data from the whi (women's health initiative) study show that estrogen alone does not significantly increase the risk of breast cancer, especially if started within 5 years of menopause. However, estrogen + Progesterone (needed when women still have a uterus to prevent uterine cancer) increases the risk of breast cancer to about 2x the baseline risk. Progesterone appears to be the "bad guy".

No: But long-term exposure is probably assocaited with a greater risk of breast cancer. But the actual risk is hard to prove and is certainly not exponential. Still, best not to take ert for more than 5 years unless you are very sympomatic from menopausal symptoms.

Absolutely Not: The whi as now reviewed was a very poor study overall and likely answers few clinical questions. I agree with the former answer that the progestin component was implicated but would not implicate Progesterone specifically. It was provera, (medroxyprogesterone) a synthetic Progesterone used in the study. The study population does not represent the typical patient we see. You need a consultation with hormone dr.