Breast cancer is hormone-dependent: it is linked to the exposure of our body to estrogen . The earlier you have your period (before age 12) and the more late menopause (after age 50), the more likely you are to develop cancer. Do hormonal contraception or estrogen-based menopause treatment increase this risk?

? The pill

The compilation of numerous studies on the subject reveals a very slight risk, at the limit of the negligible, which disappears in the ten years following its judgment. Progestin-only or combined , the pills would not be more risky than the others. So there is absolutely no need to put a brake on our consumption of platelets.

? Treatment of menopause

Results of conflicting studies, expert battles, where are we in 2009?

"Women on hormone replacement therapy for menopause are slightly more likely to have breast cancer. In the E3N study, we found 12 to 13 cases of breast cancer, instead of 10, per 10,000 women in one year, says Dr. Françoise Clavel-Chapelon. But, if we look at the type of hormones used, we realize that this over-risk concerns women who use the combination estrogen synthetic progestins . But the combination of estrogen micronized progesterone (copy of natural progesterone) seems to have no carcinogenic effect. The result remains to be confirmed for treatments over four years old. "

It is best to talk with your doctor or gynecologist to assess, according to each, the balance between risks and benefits.