Answer: There is no evidence of an increased risk for breast cancer in women taking active estrogen alone, compared to those taking placebo pills, even after an average of 5.2 years. We do not know whether the long-term effects will differ. The Data Safety and Monitoring Board will continue to review participants' health data every 6 months.

Answer: A woman is more likely to develop breast cancer if she is taking E+P. For every 10,000 women taking estrogen plus progestin, 41 women each year will develop breast cancer as compared to 33 women per year who would develop breast cancer while taking placebo. While this difference in risk is important, the overall risk to an individual woman remains small.

Answer: A woman was less likely to develop colorectal cancer if she was taking E+P. For every 10,000 women taking estrogen plus progestin, six fewer women will develop colorectal cancer while taking estrogen plus progestin. While reducing the risk developing the risk of developing colorectal cancer is favorable, the colorectal cancer cases which developed in women taking E+P were more advanced; about 76% had spread to lymph nodes or elsewhere in the body, compared to 49% of women on placebo.

In the WHIMS Estrogen-Alone study we found that a woman was more likely to develop dementia if she had been taking active estrogen pills. However, the number of women who actually did develop dementia was small??"37 out of 10,000 women taking estrogen??"alone each year, compared to 25 out of 10,000 women taking placebo each year, or a difference of 12 women. While this difference is important, the number of individual women who were affected was small.

There are many breast cancer risk factors that cannot be controlled such as genetics, early menstruation and family history. Other aspects such diet, early child-bearing, and weight can be controlled to help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Women who maintain a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in polyunsaturated fats (such as corn oils, tub margarine) and saturated fats (such as those found in meats) may help lower their risk of the disease.

Answer: A woman is more likely to develop dementia if she is taking estrogen plus progestin. However, the number of women who actually do develop dementia is relatively modest--45 out of 10,000 women taking estrogen plus progestin each year, compared to 22 out of 10,000 women taking placebo each year. While this difference in rates is important, the overall risk remains small.

Answer: WHIMS includes a study of Estrogen-Alone (without progestin) for women who did not have a uterus before they joined WHI. Final results from the Estrogen-Alone study remain uncertain. Participants in the Estrogen-Alone study are asked to continue to take their study pills and to come in for their regular clinical visits.

irritable bowel syndrome is not a dangerous illness and does not lead to intestinal cancer. There is also no increased risk of becoming sick with intestinal cancer.

The results of a five-year study show that of every 10,000 women per year taking Prempro, there would be: 8 more cases of breast cancer, 7 more cases of heart attacks, 8 more cases of stroke, and 18 more cases of blood clots in the lungs and legs.

Alarmist newspapers have frightened many women from taking hormones their bodies made naturally all of their reproductive lives. The press screamed a 26% increase in breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Initiative study. What they did not say was that of 10,000 women taking Prempro, only eight more would develop breast cancer and only seven more would have heart attacks. Women, however, are no longer willing to accept any unnecessary risks nor should they.

There is a high prevalence of several known breast cancer risk factors in Marin. Compared to the average California population, women in Marin have more risk factors including higher socioeconomic status, later childbearing, fewer children, more frequent alcohol consumption, and higher levels of education. Based on this information, we would expect Marin County to have a somewhat higher breast cancer incidence rate than other geographic regions with fewer risk factors.

Increased risk of breast cancer is determined in one of two ways. The risk for most women is determined by a computer calculation based on the following factors: The number of breast biopsies a woman has had, especially if the tissue showed a condition known as atypical hyperplasia; and the woman's age at her first menstrual period.

Though risk increases with age, young women may also get breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute: Women over 20 years of age should practice breast self-examination (BSE) every month. Regardless of age, women should promptly report any breast abnormalities to their physician. Also, young women at high risk for breast cancer may wish to ask their physician about beginning mammograms before age 40.

In 2005, the American Cancer Society estimates that 211,240 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. About 40,410 women will die from the disease this year.

All women are at risk for breast cancer. Risk factors that may increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer include: age, family history, genetics, previous breast biopsy showing benign (non-cancerous) conditions, menstruation beginning at an early age, menstruation continuing past age 50, not having children, having a first child after age 30, and high fat diets. However, 80% of women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors.

Most women with fibrocystic breasts do not have a higher risk of breast cancer. If a person has had a biopsy that shows certain (rare) kinds of fibrocystic disease, she may be at increased risk. This is uncommon and can only be determined by biopsy.

A woman's risk of developing breast cancer depends on several factors, some of which are related to her natural hormones. Hormonal factors that increase the risk of breast cancer include conditions that allow high levels of estrogen to persist for long periods of time, such as early age at first menstruation (before age 12), late age at menopause (after age 55), having children after age 30, and not having children at all.

Breast implants will not change your risk for breast cancer. The implants may change the feel of breast lumps during an examination - sometimes, breast implants may even make breast lumps easier to detect, by "pushing" the breast lumps closer to the skin surface. We recommend continued surveillence for breast cancer with annual mammograms for those over 35 and routine physical examinations.

No. There is no evidence that this procedure has any influence on the risk of development of breast cancer.

Women who have never given birth are at slightly increased risk than women who have given birth, particularly those who have had a pregnancy at a young age. The effect is extremely small, however. The chance of breast cancer spreading is substantially less if it is caught and treated early. For Stage 1 cancer, approximately 90% of the women can be cured with surgery alone.

There are side effects to any medication. There was a lot of discussion as to whether you could justify giving women a medication (with potential side effects) to prevent something that might or might not happen. That is why it is only given to women at sufficiently high risk to justify use. The side effects include an increased risk of endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterus). This is not a problem for a woman who has had a hysterectomy.

Treatment to lower the risk of recurrence is called "adjuvant" treatment. There are different types of adjuvant treatment, including chemotherapy and hormonal treatment. Talk to your doctor about which treatments might be best for you.

Maybe. The birth control pills that are on the market today have very low levels of estrogen, or no estrogen at all. Although various studies have been conducted, it is currently unclear how birth control pills affect your risk for breast cancer (American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute). If you plan to be on birth control pills for five years or more, your risk may increase. This is something you should discuss with your doctor. No, none of the above causes breast cancer.

The risk of breast cancer increases gradually as a woman gets older. However, the risk of developing breast cancer is not the same for all women. Research has shown that the following factors increase a woman's chance of developing this disease: Personal history of breast cancer—Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to develop a second breast cancer.

Large-scale studies have shown that there is no increased risk of breast cancer due to breast implants.

Family history of breast cancer – two or more first degree relatives with breast cancer; especially if they were diagnosed when premenopausal Lifetime risk of breast cancer scored at 20%-25% or greater, based on one of several accepted risk assessment tools that look at family history and other factors. This category often requires consultation with a genetic counselor who can assess breast cancer risk using various computer models.