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 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on hemostatic variables in women with previous venous thromboembolism--results from a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.
In a recent r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial of women with a history of venous thromboembolism ( VTE ) , we found that hormone replacement therapy ( HRT ) was associated with an early excess risk of recurrent thrombosis . The aims of the present study were to characterize the effects of HRT on coagulation in these women to eluci date the mechanism(s ) by which HRT increases the risk of thrombosis . The study comprised 140 women who were r and omized to receive continuous treatment for 24 months with once daily 2 mg 17-beta-estradiol plus 1 mg norethisterone acetate  ( n = 71 ) or placebo ( n = 69 ) . HRT caused significant increases in prothrombin fragments 1 + 2 , thrombin-antithrombin complex , and D-Dimer after 3 months , but these changes were less pronounced on prolonged treatment . The increases in markers of activated coagulation was higher in those women who subsequently developed recurrent thrombosis , but was similar in carriers and non-carriers of the factor V Leiden mutation . HRT had no effects on fibrinogen and factor VIII . Activated factor VII , but not factor VII antigen , decreased significantly on HRT as compared with placebo . The coagulation inhibitors antithrombin , protein C , and TFPI , but not protein S , all showed significant sustained decreases in the HRT group as compared with placebo . Antithrombin and protein C decreased by 8 - 12 % on HRT , whereas TFPI activity decreased by 12 - 17 % and TFPI free antigen by 29 - 30 % . In multivariate analysis , only TFPI activity was a significant predictor for the increased activation of coagulation . We conclude that HRT was associated with early activation of coagulation , which corroborates the finding of an early risk of recurrent VTE . This activation may in part be explained by reduction in circulating anticoagulants
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 .