This is indeed great news that breast cancer rates fell dramatically after the announcement was made in 2003 that some breast cancers may be fueled by HRT (hormone replacement therapy). But unfortunately it's too late for my mother, who passed away that same year after her breast cancer returned.
Turns out my mother had one of those types of breast cancers, and it is one of the less common types that is more easily missed, lobular carcinoma. You see, rather than a lump, it feels more like a flat, hard area. And, it is also more easily missed on mammograms. Hers was missed back in 1998. And, she had been taking HRT because she was more worried about heart problems, due to family history.
After learning this news back in 2003, I tried going off of birth control pills, as I have had many of the same "female" problems my mother did and figured that artificial hormones probably weren't that great for me. I went back on when some new forms came out, but last year I went off of them completely because they were making me insane. Seriously, a day wouldn't go by without an emotional rollercoaster of feelings, usually accompanied by crying fits for no apparent reason. Not good!
So, I will definitely be avoiding any type of HRT in the future, and I am off of hormonal birth control for good. With my mother having breast cancer, and two great aunt's on my dad's side of the family having it...I'm not taking any chances. Even though it's too late for my mom and all the rest of the women who have either beat breast cancer or succumbed to it, I am glad that it seems they've found one way of shutting down this horrible disease. Now if they could only shut it down completely, that would answer one of my most fervent hopes for this century.
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