Women taking HT had a significantly decreased incidence of fracture with long-term use .
Research ers found no strong evidence that HT has a clinical ly meaningful impact on the incidence of colorectal cancer .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS : Women with intolerable menopausal symptoms may wish to weigh the benefits of symptom relief against the small absolute risk of harm arising from short-term use of low-dose HT , provided they do not have specific contraindications .
HT may be unsuitable for some women , including those at increased risk of cardiovascular disease , increased risk of thromboembolic disease ( such as those with obesity or a history of venous thrombosis ) or increased risk of some types of cancer ( such as breast cancer , in women with a uterus ) .
The risk of endometrial cancer among women with a uterus taking oestrogen-only HT is well documented .
HT is not indicated for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease or dementia , nor for prevention of deterioration of cognitive function in postmenopausal women .
Although HT is considered effective for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis , it is generally recommended as an option only for women at significant risk for whom non-oestrogen therapies are unsuitable .
BACKGROUND : Hormone therapy ( HT ) is widely provided for control of menopausal symptoms and has been used for the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease , osteoporosis and  dementia in older women .
This is an up date d version of a Cochrane review first published in 2005 .
OBJECTIVES : To assess effects of long-term HT ( at least 1 year 's duration ) on mortality , cardiovascular outcomes , cancer , gallbladder disease , fracture and cognition in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women during and after cessation of treatment .
Estrogen plus progestin and breast cancer detection by means of mammography and breast biopsy.
BACKGROUND The effect of combined hormone therapy on breast cancer detection is not established . METHODS We examined the effect of combined hormone therapy on breast cancer detection in the Women 's Health Initiative trial , which r and omized 16,608 postmenopausal women to receive conjugated equine estrogens ( 0.625 mg/d ) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate ( 2.5 mg/d ) or placebo . Mammography and breast examinations were performed at baseline and annually per protocol , with breast biopsies based on clinical findings . The effects of conjugated equine estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate on breast cancer detection was determined throughout 5.6 years of intervention using receiver operating characteristic analyses to evaluate mammography results . RESULTS Conjugated equine estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate increased the cumulative frequency of mammograms with abnormalities vs placebo ( 35.0 % vs 23.0 % ; P < .001 ) , which had less sensitivity for cancer detection and increased cumulative breast biopsy frequency ( 10.0 % vs 6.1 % ; P < .001 ) . Although breast cancers were significantly increased and were diagnosed at higher stages in the combined hormone group , biopsies in that group less frequently diagnosed cancer ( 14.8 % vs 19.6 % ; P = .006 ) . After discontinuation of combined hormone therapy , its adverse effect on mammograms modulated but remained significantly different from that of placebo for at least 12 months ( P < .001 ) . CONCLUSIONS Use of conjugated equine estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate for approximately 5 years result ed in more than 1 in 10 and 1 in 25 women having otherwise avoidable mammogram abnormalities and breast biopsies , respectively , and compromised the diagnostic performance of both . This adverse effect on breast cancer detection should be incorporated into risk-benefit discussion s with women considering even short-term combined hormone therapy . TRIAL REGISTRATION clinical trials.gov Identifier : NCT00000611
Women taking HT had a significantly decreased incidence of fracture with long-term use .
Research ers found no strong evidence that HT has a clinical ly meaningful impact on the incidence of colorectal cancer .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS : Women with intolerable menopausal symptoms may wish to weigh the benefits of symptom relief against the small absolute risk of harm arising from short-term use of low-dose HT , provided they do not have specific contraindications .
HT may be unsuitable for some women , including those at increased risk of cardiovascular disease , increased risk of thromboembolic disease ( such as those with obesity or a history of venous thrombosis ) or increased risk of some types of cancer ( such as breast cancer , in women with a uterus ) .
The risk of endometrial cancer among women with a uterus taking oestrogen-only HT is well documented .
HT is not indicated for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease or dementia , nor for prevention of deterioration of cognitive function in postmenopausal women .
Although HT is considered effective for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis , it is generally recommended as an option only for women at significant risk for whom non-oestrogen therapies are unsuitable .
BACKGROUND : Hormone therapy ( HT ) is widely provided for control of menopausal symptoms and has been used for the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease , osteoporosis and  dementia in older women .
This is an up date d version of a Cochrane review first published in 2005 .
OBJECTIVES : To assess effects of long-term HT ( at least 1 year 's duration ) on mortality , cardiovascular outcomes , cancer , gallbladder disease , fracture and cognition in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women during and after cessation of treatment .