What misconception most commonly deters people from using menopausal hormone therapy?

The most common misconception that deters people from using menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is the fear that it increases the risk of breast cancer. This fear largely stems from the way results from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study were reported over 20 years ago. Headlines at the time suggested a significant increase in breast cancer risk, causing many women and even healthcare providers to avoid MHT. However, the actual data showed that the increased risk was very small and only associated with certain types of hormone combinations, specifically estrogen with synthetic progestins—not with estrogen alone or with bioidentical progesterone.

Here at Alloy, we want to emphasize that:

Estrogen alone does not increase breast cancer risk, and in some cases, it may even lower it.
The combination of estrogen and bioidentical progesterone (which is what Alloy prescribes) has not been shown to increase breast cancer risk.
Many women are still avoiding MHT due to outdated or misunderstood information, even though current evidence supports its safety and benefits for most women.

For a clear and engaging explanation of these misconceptions, check out the "Common Misconceptions About MHT/HRT" chapter in our YouTube video with Dr. Corinne Menn. She discusses the top reasons women are told they can't use MHT, with breast cancer fear being the number one barrier: Watch the video chapter here

If you want to learn more about our safe, FDA-approved bioidentical hormone therapies, visit our solutions page.

You can also read more about the science and myths around MHT and breast cancer in our detailed blog post: Menopausal Hormone Therapy & Breast Cancer Risk.

This answer was created using the following resources: