Many women are being scared off using hormone replacement therapy by studies into potential long-term effects of the treatment, according to new research.

The survey by researchers in New Zealand found that 58 per cent of women stopped taking HRT after the results of a major trial, which suggested that some types of HRT increased the risk of breast cancer and heart disease, were published in 2002.

Experts insist that HRT can have many benefits for women and urged patients to consult with their GP before stopping treatment.

HRT can relieve many of the symptoms of menopause and protects older women against osteoporosis. However, scientists have raised a number of concerns about the long-term effects of treatment.

In August the British Government issued advice to doctors asking them to weigh up the individual benefits and risks to women when prescribing HRT.

Frances Griffiths, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Warwick, wrote in an accompanying editorial published with the research in the British Medical Journal: ‘The decision to take or not to take hormone replacement therapy should be seen as a provisional decision negotiated for a particular time and place and then reviewed.’