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Breast Cancer, Family History, and the HRT Dilemma

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Oonagh Grace

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A Family Story

Breast cancer has always been part of my family story. My sister had it, my mother had it, and so did a cousin on my mum’s side. But I also have plenty of aunts and cousins who remain breast cancer–free. On my dad’s side, one aunt battled the disease for many years before sadly losing her life to it, while another aunt and several cousins have never been affected.

So while breast cancer has touched my family deeply, it hasn’t defined every branch of it. Still, being immersed in those stories, I carried a steady anxiety about whether it would one day be mine too.

Choosing HRT

That’s why, nearly five years ago, deciding to start HRT felt monumental. And it turned out to be life changing — in ways I’d never anticipated. It didn’t just improve things — it gave me back a sense of myself I thought was gone forever. For that, “life changing” feels like an understatement.

Conflicting Advice

But navigating HRT with a family history of breast cancer is messy. Some experts assure us it’s safe. Others dismiss it outright — sometimes with judgment. A respected OBGYN in Singapore, where I live, once asked me:
“Do you know how bad breast cancer can be? You’re a mother — do you want to put yourself and your children through that?”
Her words stung, especially since I was already considered “high risk.”

What Makes an Expert?

Who do we trust? In this world, expertise can come from research, years of patient care, or both. But on HRT and breast cancer, expert opinions often conflict — and sometimes mislead.
And the truth? We still haven’t got all the answers.

Closing Thought

For women like me — with family history, with risk, with unanswerable questions — the only path forward is one we carve ourselves. HRT gave me my quality of life back, but the shadow of breast cancer never fully fades. Navigating that uncertain middle ground is where many women live — silently, courageously, every day.

Resources & Further Reading

  • 📚 Books
    • Blooming, A., & Tavris, C. (2018). Estrogen Matters.
    • Streicher, L. (2021). Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: The Menopause Book.
  • 📄 Research & Guidelines
    • NICE (2015; updated 2024). Menopause: Diagnosis and Management (NG23). Read here
    • North American Menopause Society (NAMS). Position Statement on Hormone Therapy.
    • Blooming, A., & Tavris, C. (2021). Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer: The Unfinished Story. Climacteric, 24(1), 1–7.
  • 🎧 Podcast & Blog

Tags

#WomensHealth #BreastCancerAwareness #MenopauseMatters #Perimenopause #MenopauseHealth #HRTJourney #MidlifeWomen #EstrogenMatters #BreakingTheSilence #InformedChoices

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Hello,

I’m Oonagh

I am the writer behind OMG: The Women’s Health Brief, where I break the silence around perimenopause, menopause, and the medical OMG moments women are too often told to “just accept.” Drawing on my own experiences with hormone therapy and medical gaslighting — and my work as a transition coach helping women navigate midlife — I aim to support and inform women as they move through this stage of life and beyond.

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Welcome to OMG: The Women’s Health Brief — a space for breaking the silence around women’s health. From the chaos of perimenopause to the crash landings of menopause — and every baffling, frustrating, and overlooked medical moment in between — this blog shares the stories, research, and resources women deserve but don’t always receive.

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