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 .
Effects of conjugated equine estrogen on risk of fractures and BMD in postmenopausal women with hysterectomy: results from the women's health initiative randomized trial.
UNLABELLED Further analyses from the Women 's Health Initiative estrogen trial shows that CEE reduced fracture risk . The fracture reduction at the hip did not differ appreciably among risk strata . These data do not support overall benefit over risk , even in women at highest risk for fracture . INTRODUCTION The Women 's Health Initiative provided evidence that conjugated equine estrogen ( CEE ) can significantly reduce fracture risk in postmenopausal women . Additional analysis of the effects of CEE on BMD and fracture are presented . MATERIAL S AND METHODS Postmenopausal women 50 - 79 years of age with hysterectomy were r and omized to  CEE 0.625 mg daily ( n = 5310 ) or placebo ( n = 5429 ) and followed for an average 7.1 years . Fracture incidence was assessed by semiannual question naire and verified by adjudication of radiology reports . BMD was measured in a subset of women ( N = 938 ) at baseline and years 1 , 3 , and 6 . A global index was used to examine whether the balance of risks and benefits differed by baseline fracture risk . RESULTS CEE reduced the risk of hip ( hazard ratio [ HR ] , 0.65 ; 95 % CI , 0.45 - 0.94 ) , clinical vertebral ( HR , 0.64 ; 95 % CI , 0.44 - 0.93 ) , wrist/lower arm ( HR , 0.58 ; 95 % CI , 0.47 - 0.72 ) , and total fracture ( HR , 0.71 ; 95 % CI , 0.64 - 0.80 ) . This effect did not differ among strata according to age , oophorectomy status , past hormone use , race/ethnicity , fall frequency , physical activity , or fracture history . Total fracture reduction was less in women at the lowest predicted fracture risk in both absolute and relative terms ( HR , 0.86 ; 95 % CI , 0.68 - 1.08 ) . CEE also provided modest but consistent positive effects on BMD . The HRs of the global index for CEE were relatively balanced across tertiles of summary fracture risk ( lowest risk : HR , 0.81 ; 95 % CI , 0.62 - 1.05 ; mid risk : HR , 1.09 ; 95 % CI , 0.92 - 1.30 ; highest risk : HR , 1.04 ; 95 % CI , 0.88 - 1.23 ; interaction , p = 0.42 ) . CONCLUSIONS CEE reduces the risk of fracture and increases BMD  in hysterectomized postmenopausal women . Even among the women with the highest risk for fractures , when considering the effects of estrogen on other important health outcomes , a summary of the burden of monitored effects does not indicate a significant net benefit
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 .