HRT risk reported

Women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) run an increased risk of blood clots in the leg or lungs according to new evidence published in the Lancet.

Two studies by scientists in Oxford and Boston conclude that out of 10,000 women taking HRT, two will suffer blood clots that they would not otherwise have had. A third study, also from the United States, found a smaller risk of one woman in 20,000 suffering from a clot.

The scientists say that a family or personal history of clots or obesity or confinement to bed for long periods should be considered before HRT is started. Liz Hunt