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 .
Health outcomes after stopping conjugated equine estrogens among postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy: a randomized controlled trial.
CONTEXT The Women 's Health Initiative Estrogen-Alone Trial was stopped early after a mean of 7.1 years of follow-up because of an increased risk of stroke and little likelihood of altering the balance of risk to benefit by the planned trial termination date . Postintervention health outcomes have not been reported . OBJECTIVE To examine health outcomes associated with r and omization to treatment with conjugated equine estrogens ( CEE ) among women with prior hysterectomy after a mean of 10.7 years of follow-up through August 2009 . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PARTICIPANTS The intervention phase was a double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized clinical trial of 0.625 mg/d of CEE compared with placebo in 10,739 US postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years with prior hysterectomy . Follow-up continued after the planned trial completion date among 7645 surviving participants ( 78 % ) who provided written consent . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcomes were coronary heart disease ( CHD ) and invasive breast cancer . A global index of risks and benefits included these primary outcomes plus stroke , pulmonary embolism , colorectal cancer , hip fracture , and death . RESULTS The postintervention risk ( annualized rate ) for CHD among women assigned to CEE was 0.64 % compared with 0.67 % in the placebo group ( hazard ratio [ HR ] , 0.97 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 0.75 - 1.25 ) , 0.26 % vs 0.34 % , respectively , for breast cancer ( HR , 0.75 ; 95 % CI , 0.51 - 1.09 ) , and 1.47 % vs 1.48 % , respectively , for total mortality ( HR , 1.00 ; 95 % CI , 0.84 - 1.18 ) . The risk of stroke was no longer elevated during the postintervention follow-up period and was 0.36 % among women receiving CEE compared with 0.41 % in the placebo group ( HR , 0.89 ; 95 % CI , 0.64 - 1.24 ) , the risk of deep vein thrombosis was lower at 0.17 % vs 0.27 % , respectively ( HR , 0.63 ; 95 % CI , 0.41 - 0.98 ) , and the risk of hip fracture did not differ significantly and was 0.36 % vs 0.28 % , respectively ( HR , 1.27 ; 95 % CI , 0.88 - 1.82 ) . Over the entire follow-up , lower breast cancer incidence in the CEE group persisted and was 0.27 % compared with 0.35 % in the placebo group ( HR , 0.77 ; 95 % CI , 0.62 - 0.95 ) . Health outcomes were more favorable for younger compared with older women for CHD ( P = .05 for interaction ) , total myocardial infa rct ion ( P = .007 for interaction ) , colorectal cancer ( P = .04 for interaction ) , total mortality ( P = .04 for interaction ) , and global index of chronic diseases ( P = .009 for interaction ) . CONCLUSIONS Among postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy followed up for 10.7 years , CEE use for a median of 5.9 years was not associated with an increased or decreased risk of CHD , deep vein thrombosis , stroke , hip fracture , colorectal cancer , or total mortality . A decreased risk of breast cancer persisted . 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 .