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 .
Comparison of the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS) cohort with women with coronary disease from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III)
BACKGROUND The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study ( HERS ) is the first large clinical trial design ed to test the efficacy of postmenopausal estrogen/progestin therapy for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) . To examine the representativeness of the HERS cohort to the general population of postmenopausal women with CHD , we compared the baseline cardiovascular risk factor data from HERS with similar data from women presumed to have CHD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ( NHANES ) III . METHODS Age , race , and cardiovascular disease risk factors were compared in the 2763 postmenopausal women younger than 80 years old , with a uterus , and with documented CHD in HERS versus 145 similarly aged women with clinical or electrocardiographic evidence of CHD from phase I of NHANES III . RESULTS There were fewer current smokers in HERS ( 13 % ) than in the NHANES cohort ( 21.7 % , p = 0.05 ) . Similarly , a history of hypertension was less prevalent in HERS ( 58.6 % ) than in the NHANES cohort ( 69.3 % , p = 0.03 ) . Women with fasting triglyceride levels > 3.39 mmol/L or fasting glucose levels > 16.6 mmol/L were excluded from HERS , result ing in fewer diabetics ( 22.9 % vs 29.5 % , p = 0.26 ) and lower serum triglyceride levels ( 1.88 mmol/L vs 2.25 mmol/L , p = 0.19 ) in HERS versus the NHANES cohort . Systolic and diastolic blood pressure , body mass index , physical activity , and total LDL and HDL cholesterol were not significantly different between the two groups . CONCLUSIONS The HERS cohort had fewer CHD risk factors than women with myocardial infa rct ion or angina in NHANES III , although comparison is hindered by differences in selection criteria . The many women with diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia in the NHANES cohort emphasizes the importance of testing strategies for secondary prevention of CHD in this high-risk subgroup
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 .