When I was pre-menopausal, I was prescribed a hormone patch. This was around age 50 (I'm 73 now). After some time during a routine breast examination in my doctor's office, lumps (determined to be cysts) were discovered and subsequently, I was taken off pharmaceutical hormones. Sometime later, after the cysts disappeared, I started using compounded bioidentical hormones. I've been using them for about 15 years and have never had any problems with breast cysts. I truly feel safer with the bioidentical hormones than pharmaceutical. Also, I like that minor adjustments can be made if routine test results determine this.