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 .
Effect of hormone replacement therapy on self-reported cognitive symptoms: results from the Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions (PEPI) trial.
OBJECTIVE To describe self-reported cognitive changes in 875 postmenopausal women aged 45 - 64 years and assigned r and omly to hormone therapy ( either estrogen alone or estrogen in combination with a progestin ) .  METHODS A 3-year placebo-controlled trial which included self-report data on problems with forgetfulness , concentration and distraction in groups of women assigned r and omly to  placebo , estrogen alone or estrogen plus one of three progestin regimens . RESULTS Women assigned to any active treatment were consistently less likely to report cognitive symptoms than women assigned to placebo , but these results were not statistically significant . When compared with women assigned to estrogen plus any progestin , women assigned to estrogen alone had a significant increased risk for reporting problems with forgetfulness at follow-up ( odds ratio , OR = 1.47 ) . In the absence of problems with distraction at baseline , women assigned to estrogen alone were significantly less likely to report problems with distraction at follow-up , compared to women assigned to estrogen plus any progestin ( OR = 0.36 ) . Assignment to a continuous progestin regimen in combination with estrogen was marginally associated with an increased risk for reporting concentration problems at follow-up , compared to cyclic progestin regimens ( OR = 1.63 ) . CONCLUSIONS These results provide some evidence to support the hypothesis that estrogen improves memory , but findings are not statistically significant in this healthy middle-aged cohort . These data suggest that estrogen in combination with any progestin confers a decreased risk for reporting forgetfulness at follow-up , compared to estrogen alone . However , there is evidence that distraction problems reported at follow-up were side-effects of progestin . There is also some evidence that women administered progestins cyclically were at lower risk for reporting cognitive symptoms at follow-up , particularly concentration problems
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 .