Women like me: Reflections on health and hormones from women treated for breast cancer

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) traditionally has been withheld from women with breast cancer to minimize their risk of recurrence. However, the benefits of HRT include relief from menopausal symptoms and protection against osteoporosis and possibly heart disease. Focus groups were conducted among women diagnosed with breast cancer to explore how the women approached health decisions, especially regarding HRT, and to identify factors that influenced their decision-making process. Factors identified included relief of symptoms, fear of cancer, side effects of treatment, attitudes toward risk, perception of risk and mastery, and physicians' recommendations. The article discusses these factors and provides suggestions, such as the following, to care providers who counsel women concerning menopause and HRT: Help patients understand areas in which the evidence is solid, address their possibly unrealistic expectations, and help them articulate their feelings and fears.