A new study conducted by British researchers on the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) confirms a Women's Health Initiative report that revealed HRT increases a female's risk of breast cancer, stroke and blood clots. Appearing in this month's issue of The Lancet medical journal, the study analyzed four major reviews on the effects of HRT. Researchers involved in the 20,000-woman study said their data showed "consistent results" with the U.S.'s discovery last summer.

In July 2002, The National Institute of Health (NIH) stopped a 16,608-woman study on the benefits of hormone replacement therapy three years early, concluding that hormones such as estrogen and progestin place women who still have their uterus at risk of developing invasive breast cancer. Women involved in the trial had been taking Prempro or a placebo for five years before the study was halted. The study found that women using the hormone drug also faced an increased risk of stroke, heart disease and blood clots.