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 .
The effects of oophorectomy and long-term mestranol therapy on the serum lipids of middle-aged women.
97 women aged 37 - 58 years who had undergone bilateral oophorectomy and hysterectomy and 45 women aged 34 - 53 years who had undergone hysterectomy only voluntarily participated in a therapeutic regime and follow-up visits . The oophorectomized women were r and omly divided into two groups ; one group received 20 - 40 mcg of mestranol per day and the other group received placebo ( no medication ) tablets .  Total serum cholesterol measured by the method of Pearson Stern and McGanack serum triglycerides determined by the method of Van H and el and Zilversmit and blood sugar measured by st and ard Autoanalyzer techniques were performed . Fasting blood sample s were tested for every woman at her first visit and 40 oophorectomized women were re-tested after one year . Mean values for fasting blood sugars were in the range 50 - 110mg/100ml for both groups . Serum cholesterol rose significantly with age in women with intact ovaries . Oophorectomized women showed a significant rise in serum cholesterol at a younger age ( 43 years and under ) . Over age 46 there was no significant difference in serum cholesterol between these groups . The oophorectomized women showed a significantly slower rise of serum triglycerides with age than did the women with intact ovaries . In both groups serum triglycerides rose significantly with age . The oophorectomized women receiving mestranol showed a significant drop in serum cholesterol after one year and a significantly greater rise in serum triglycerides compared with the oophorectomized women receiving placebo treatment . No episodes of thromboembolism occurred in the mestranol-treated women
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 .