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 hormone therapy on brain structure
Objective : To investigate the effects of hormone therapy on brain structure in a r and omized , double-blinded , placebo-controlled trial in recently postmenopausal women . Methods : Participants ( aged 42–56 years , within 5–36 months past menopause ) in the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study were r and omized to ( 1 ) 0.45 mg/d oral conjugated equine estrogens ( CEE ) , ( 2 ) 50 μg/d transdermal 17β-estradiol , or ( 3 ) placebo pills and patch for 48 months . Oral progesterone ( 200 mg/d ) was given to active treatment groups for 12 days each month . MRI and cognitive testing were performed in a subset of participants at baseline , and at 18 , 36 , and 48 months of r and omization ( n = 95 ) . Changes in whole brain , ventricular , and white matter hyperintensity volumes , and in global cognitive function , were measured . Results : Higher rates of ventricular expansion were observed in both the CEE and the 17β-estradiol groups compared to placebo ; however , the difference was significant only in the CEE group ( p = 0.01 ) . Rates of ventricular expansion correlated with rates of decrease in brain volume ( r = −0.58 ; p ≤ 0.001 ) and with rates of increase in white matter hyperintensity volume ( r = 0.27 ; p = 0.01 ) after adjusting for age . The changes were not different between the CEE and 17β-estradiol groups for any of the MRI measures . The change in global cognitive function was not different across the groups . Conclusions : Ventricular volumes increased to a greater extent in recently menopausal women who received CEE compared to placebo but without changes in cognitive performance . Because the sample size was small and the follow-up limited to 4 years , the findings should be interpreted with caution and need confirmation . Classification of evidence : This study provides Class I evidence that brain ventricular volume increased to a greater extent in recently menopausal women who received oral CEE compared to placebo
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 .