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 .
Pulsed estrogen therapy improves postmenopausal quality of life: a 2-year placebo-controlled study.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of pulsed estrogen therapy S21400 ( intranasal 17 beta-estradiol ) on different quality of life ( QoL ) dimensions in early postmenopausal women treated with S21400 150 microg per day , S21400 300 microg per day , or placebo in a double blind , r and omized , controlled 2-year study . STUDY DESIGN QoL was assessed based on the vali date d Women 's Health Question naire design ed for peri- and post-menopausal women . Three hundred and thirty-five healthy , early postmenopausal Danish women , 53 years of age in average , who completed one question naire at baseline and one under study treatment were included in the analysis set . All analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis . RESULTS QoL improved significantly in both S21400 groups compared to placebo in the dimensions ' memory/concentration ' , ' vasomotor symptoms ' , ' sleep problems ' and ' sexual behavior ' ( difference in mean change scores being respectively + 7.9 , + 28.3 , + 9.9 and + 10.8 % , p < 0.001 , between the S21400 300 microg and placebo group ) . There were no significant differences between actively treated groups and placebo in the dimensions ' anxiety/depressed mood ' and ' well-being ' . CONCLUSION Pulsed estradiol therapy had a pronounced effect not only on vasomotor symptoms but also a significant and clinical ly relevant improvement in several other QoL dimensions
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 .