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 .
Estrogen alone and joint symptoms in the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trial
Objective Although joint symptoms are commonly reported after menopause , observational studies examining exogenous estrogen ’s influence on joint symptoms provide mixed results . Against this background , estrogen-alone effects on joint symptoms were examined in post hoc analyses in the Women ’s Health Initiative r and omized , placebo-controlled , clinical trial . Methods A total of 10,739 postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy were r and omized to receive daily oral conjugated equine estrogens ( 0.625 mg/d ) or a matching placebo . The frequency and severity of joint pain and joint swelling were assessed by question naire in all participants at entry and on year 1 , and in a 9.9 % r and om sub sample ( n = 1,062 ) after years 3 and 6 . Logistic regression models were used to compare the frequency and severity of symptoms by r and omization group . Sensitivity analyses evaluated adherence influence on symptoms . Results At baseline , joint pain and joint swelling were closely comparable in the r and omization groups ( about 77 % with joint pain and 40 % with joint swelling ) . After 1 year , joint pain frequency was significantly lower in the estrogen-alone group compared with the placebo group ( 76.3 % vs 79.2 % , P = 0.001 ) , as was joint pain severity , and the difference in pain between r and omization groups persisted through year 3 . However , joint swelling frequency was higher in the estrogen-alone group ( 42.1 % vs 39.7 % , P = 0.02 ) . Adherence-adjusted analyses strengthen estrogen ’s association with reduced joint pain but attenuate estrogen ’s association with increased joint swelling . Conclusions The current findings suggest that estrogen-alone use in postmenopausal women results in a modest but sustained reduction in the frequency of joint pain
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 .