HRT is a matter of personal choice, but I feel that all I've read says that it is improtant. The estrogen will cause cancer if taken alone if you have not had a hysterectomy. If you have had the hysterectomy, all you need is the estrogen.

I am 58, way past menopause, and I feel great and still look much younger than my actual age. I have watched my sister age terribly. She thinks that she doesn't need HRT, but she now suffers from osteoporosis along with a host of other medical problems that are age related.

The first doctor that told me to avoid soy had just learned about its bad effects at a seminar at Sloan Kettering--a very prestigous cancer center in NYC. This is the second doctor to warn me. Of course the osteopathic doctor that I see thinks soy is just fine because it's not a true estrogen, but a phyto estrogen. However today the doctor told me that your body recognizes all types of estrogen as estrogen.

For my own peace of mind and safety, I will avoid the soy and continue the HRT.

Carol