HRT and Meninginoma

[Custardlady]

HI All. I have been diagnosed with several meninginoma as I am entering the menopause I am concerned about starting HRT . I have read some studies that it can cause the meninginoma to grow . Does anyone have any experience or come across this ?.Any advise welcome x

[BrainBrain]

I've been thinking about it a lot. HRT restores your homones to levels they were at before perimenopause kicked in and they went on a roller coaster. So if you say that hrt causes your tumour to grow, you're also saying that the natural levels of hormones you have before perimenopause cause them to grow, ie being a woman who is past puberty is bad for you! It might well be, but there isn't a cure for that.

Also, there aren't any good quality studies on modern (transdermal) HRT and meningioma, (or even of old style tablets and Ms) but for the above reason, there are unlikely to be. If you concluded that being female and grown up caused meningioma, you wouldn't have helped the world very much. That's already obvious from the fact that 80% occur in women.

It's different for some breast cancers, where an obvious link between hormones and growth is easily seen, but transdermal hrt is still not a cause for them to start. Removing all those hormones artificially is just a way to starve the tumour. The difference between breast cancer and meningioma is that the link can be seen in a lab, on the tumour tissue. Although meningiomas can be tested for hormone receptors, finding them doesn't lead researchers to be able to test tumour tissue with hormones and see growth. They can't see any effect, hence why many hospitals have given up testing for hormonal receptors in meningiomas. It doesn't actually tell them anything.

I think you have to draw your own conclusions, but when peri hits, if your quality of life takes a nosedive, it may influence your conclusions.

[Custardlady in reply to BrainBrain]

Thanks so much for your reply. It makes sense. X