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 .
Effects of Conjugated Equine Estrogen on Stroke in the Women’s Health Initiative
Background — The Women ’s Health Initiative ( WHI ) Estrogen Alone trial assessed the balance of benefits and risks of hormone use in healthy postmenopausal women . The trial was stopped prematurely because there was no benefit for coronary heart disease and an increased risk of stroke . This report provides a thorough analysis of the stroke finding using the final results from the completed trial data base . Methods and Results — The WHI Estrogen Alone hormone trial is a multicenter , double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized clinical trial in 10 739 women aged 50 to 79 years who were given daily conjugated equine estrogen ( CEE ; 0.625 mg ; n=5310 ) or placebo ( n=5429 ) . During an average follow-up of 7.1 years , there were 168 strokes in the CEE group and 127 in the placebo group ; 80.3 % of strokes were ischemic . For all stroke the intention-to-treat hazard ratio [ HR ] ( 95 % CI ) for CEE versus placebo was 1.37 ( 1.09 to 1.73 ) . The HR ( 95 % CI ) was 1.55 ( 1.19 to 2.01 ) for ischemic stroke and 0.64 ( 0.35 , 1.18 ) for hemorrhagic stroke . The HRs indicate excess risk of ischemic stroke was apparent in all categories of baseline stroke risk , including younger and more recently menopausal women and in women with prior or current use of statins or aspirin . Conclusions — CEE increases the risk of ischemic stroke in generally healthy postmenopausal women . The excess risk appeared to be present in all subgroups of women examined , including younger and more recently menopausal women . There was no convincing evidence to suggest that CEE had an effect on the risk of hemorrhagic stroke
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 .