658: Will HRT give you cancer? with Dr. Erika Schwartz
Age Less / Live More
Lucas Rockwood
4.8 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2025
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 2002, the Women's Health Initiative study on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) sent shockwaves through the medical world, halting a major study due to a reported 26% increase in breast cancer risk.
The statistic sounded terrifying, but what it really meant was just eight additional cases per 10,000 women per year. Unfortunately, the lack of clear communication and context sparked widespread fear, leading millions of women to avoid HRT without fully understanding its risks and benefits.
Listen and learn:
- Why the Women’s Health Initiative study on HRT was flawed and misunderstood
- The difference between relative risk and absolute risk—and why it matters
- How HRT protocols from 20+ years ago compare to today’s options
- The importance of advocating for yourself with your doctor
- How modern research and individualized care can reshape menopause treatment
- Practical insights to help you make informed decisions about your health and longevity
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ABOUT OUR GUEST
Dr. Erika Schwartz is a physician, author, and advocate for integrative and patient-centered healthcare. Specializing in hormone health, preventive medicine, and women's wellness, she has spent decades challenging traditional medical paradigms and empowering patients to take an active role in their health journey. With multiple books, national media appearances, and a holistic approach to medicine, Dr. Schwartz bridges the gap between conventional and alternative healthcare strategies.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In 2002, the Women's Health Initiative study on hormone replacement therapy sent shockwaves |
| 0:07.3 | through the medical world. |
| 0:08.6 | They had to halt a major study because they reported a 26% increase in breast cancer risk. |
| 0:14.3 | The problem is they were reporting on relative risk, not absolute risk, and they were giving a different hormonal protocol |
| 0:22.6 | than is used today, and the participants, many of them were too old, and many of them were quite |
| 0:27.4 | unhealthy. Essentially, it was a really poorly constructed study, and the results were not nearly |
| 0:33.7 | as scary as they reported. Here's what you need to know. Relative risk and absolute risk |
| 0:38.9 | are not the same. A 26% relative increase, what that actually translated into is an additional |
| 0:45.7 | eight women for every 10,000 people. So the absolute risk was very tiny. Here's a way to think about it. |
| 0:53.4 | I live on the Mediterranean. |
| 0:55.3 | I live in Barcelona. If I rode my bike down to the beach today and I went into the water up to my |
| 1:01.6 | knees or up to my neck deep in the water, the relative risk of me getting bit by a shark if the |
| 1:09.0 | water is up to my neck versus my knees is double, |
| 1:11.9 | 200% increase. That sounds terrifying. It sounds like I should never go swimming. But there's only one thing. |
| 1:17.4 | We don't have any sharks. So my absolute risk, meaning the actual increase in number of shark |
| 1:23.6 | attacks, goes from one in 10 million to two in 10 million. In practical terms, it's |
| 1:28.6 | almost impossible. This is why percentages can be so confusing and why stats can really throw |
| 1:34.2 | us for a loop. What do you do with all that information? Well, if you're a woman in menopause |
| 1:39.9 | or after menopause, if you're a man in andropause, or if you're anyone who's interested |
| 1:43.4 | in health span, you really have to take a man in andropause, or if you're anyone who's interested in health span, |
| 1:44.5 | you really have to take a closer look on the data, |
| 1:46.8 | not necessarily so you go on a hormone replacement, |
... |
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