It is unfortunately all too true that the oestrogen replacement therapy widely prescribed in Australia, the US and UK until the late 1970s caused a significant number of cases of endometrial cancer. This form of cancer may develop when oestrogen is used alone without progestogen by women who have an intact uterus.
Medical practitioners know considerably more today than they did then about the role of various reproductive hormones and their relationship with cancer and other diseases. While more is known, we are still on a learning curve with HRT. Here’s just one example. Recent research indicates that the actions of classic hormones like oestrogen and progesterone do not fully explain the way the reproductive system works. A large number of other hormones such as inhibin can apparently fine-tune the way the body responds to the classic hormones. It is only within the past decade that some of these local hormones have been identified, and there may be others as yet undiscovered.
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