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 .
Effectiveness of Alora estradiol matrix transdermal delivery system in improving lumbar bone mineral density in healthy, postmenopausal women
Objective To determine the lowest effective dose of an estradiol ( E2 ) matrix-type transdermal delivery system ( EMTDS ; Alora ) for preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women . Design This double-blind , double-dummy , r and omized , placebo-controlled , multicenter study enrolled 355 nonosteoporotic postmenopausal women who had been hysterectomized with or without oophorectomy at least 12 months earlier . Participants were r and omly assigned to one of three doses of the EMTDS ( 0.025 , 0.05 , or 0.075 mg/day ) or placebo administered twice weekly . Lumbar bone mineral density ( LBMD ) was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at screening and after 1 and 2 years of treatment . Safety was assessed at regularly scheduled visits . Results EMTDS provided statistically significant and clinical ly meaningful changes in LBMD relative to placebo . At 2 years , LBMD declined from baseline by 0.59 % in the placebo group , but it increased from baseline by 1.65 % ( p = 0.0065 ) , 4.08 % ( p = 0.0001 ) , and 4.82 % ( p = 0.0001 ) in the EMTDS 0.025 , 0.05 , and 0.075 mg/day groups , respectively . The corresponding responder rates ( defined as no change or increase in LBMD at endpoint ) were 39.7 % for placebo , 59.6 % , 79.3 % , and 83.9 % in the EMTDS 0.025 , 0.05 , and 0.075 mg/day groups , respectively . Mean serum E2 concentrations were proportional to the dose of the E2 transdermal system and did not accumulate over the course of the study . Adverse events were generally comparable across treatment groups , with the majority being mild or moderate in severity and unrelated to study medication . Mammogram findings and other safety assessment s were also comparable across groups and did not reveal any safety concerns with 2-y transdermal E2 treatment . Conclusions The EMTDS ( Alora ) administered twice weekly improves lumbar bone mineral density in healthy postmenopausal women , with the benefit of treatment evident by 1 year . The lowest effective dose is 0.025 mg/day
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 .