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 .
Conjugated Equine Estrogens and Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Survival: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Clinical Trial
Background : In separate Women 's Health Initiative r and omized trials , combined hormone therapy with estrogen plus progestin reduced colorectal cancer incidence but estrogen alone in women with hysterectomy did not . We now analyze features of the colorectal cancers that developed and examine the survival of women following colorectal cancer diagnosis in the latter trial . Participants and Methods : 10,739 postmenopausal women who were 50 to 79 years of age and had undergone hysterectomy were r and omized to conjugated equine estrogens ( 0.625 mg/d ) or matching placebo .  Colorectal cancer incidence was a component of the monitoring global index of the study but was not a primary study endpoint . Colorectal cancers were verified by central medical record and pathology report review . Bowel exam frequency was not protocol defined , but information on their use was collected . Results : After a median 7.1 years , there were 58 invasive colorectal cancers in the hormone group and 53 in the placebo group [ hazard ratio , 1.12 ; 95 % confidence interval ( 95 % CI ) , 0.77 - 1.63 ] . Tumor size , stage , and grade were comparable in the two r and omization groups . Bowel exam frequency was also comparable in the two groups . The cumulative mortality following colorectal cancer diagnosis among women in the conjugated equine estrogen group was 34 % compared with 30 % in the placebo group ( hazard ratio , 1.34 ; 95 % CI , 0.58 - 3.19 ) . Conclusions : In contrast to the preponderance of observational studies , conjugated equine estrogens in a r and omized clinical trial did not reduce colorectal cancer incidence nor improve survival after diagnosis . ( Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(10):2609–18
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 .