Science can now say with confidence that women who stopped taking post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT, consisting of estrogen combined with progesterone) have experienced a marked decline in their breast cancer risk compared to those who continued the therapy.

This is good news! The decline was first noted in 2003 after the Women's Health Initiative reported that combined hormone therapy was related to a higher risk of breast cancer and heart problems. (Read HRT Worries: New Information about Breast Cancer Risk.)

The most important piece of data for you to know about is probably that women who took combined estrogen and progesterone therapy for more than 5 years had a risk that for them was double what it would have been had they not been on HRT.

Gone are the days when HRT scripts were handed out willy-nilly. Doctors are becoming more and more aware that such medications should be used selectively and not automatically for someone dealing with menopausal symptoms.

The take-home message here? Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of taking HRT. If you have any other known risk factors for breast cancer, consider filling a prescription for HRT only after a great deal of thought. And if you've already been on HRT for several years, then consider talking with your doctor about discontinuing this drug.