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 Cognition and Mood in Recently Postmenopausal Women: Findings from the Randomized, Controlled KEEPS–Cognitive and Affective Study
Background Menopausal hormone therapy ( MHT ) reportedly increases the risk of cognitive decline in women over age 65 y. It is unknown whether similar risks exist for recently postmenopausal women , and whether MHT affects mood in younger women . The ancillary Cognitive and Affective Study ( KEEPS-Cog ) of the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study ( KEEPS ) examined the effects of up to 4 y of MHT on cognition and mood in recently postmenopausal women . Methods and Findings KEEPS , a r and omized , double-blinded , placebo-controlled clinical trial , was conducted at nine US academic centers . Of the 727 women enrolled in KEEPS , 693 ( 95.3 % ) participated in the ancillary KEEPS-Cog , with 220 women r and omized to receive 4 y of 0.45 mg/d oral conjugated equine estrogens ( o-CEE ) plus 200 mg/d micronized progesterone ( m-P ) for the first 12 d of each month , 211 women r and omized to receive 50 μg/d transdermal estradiol ( t-E2 ) plus 200 mg/d m-P for the first 12 d of each month , and 262 women r and omized to receive placebo pills and patches . Primary outcomes included the Modified Mini-Mental State examination ; four cognitive factors : verbal learning/memory , auditory attention/working memory , visual attention/executive function , and speeded language /mental flexibility ; and a mood measure , the Profile of Mood States ( POMS )  . MHT effects were analyzed using linear mixed-effects ( LME ) models , which make full use of all available data from each participant , including those with missing data . Data from those with and without full data were compared to assess for potential biases result ing from missing observations . For statistically significant results , we calculated effect sizes ( ESs ) to evaluate the magnitude of changes . On average , participants were 52.6 y old , and 1.4 y past their last menstrual period . By month 48 , 169 ( 24.4 % ) and 158 ( 22.8 % ) of the 693 women who consented for ancillary KEEPS-Cog were lost to follow-up for cognitive assessment ( 3MS and cognitive factors ) and mood evaluations ( POMS ) , respectively . However , because LME models make full use all available data , including data from women with missing data , 95.5 % of participants were included in the final analysis ( n = 662 in cognitive analyses , and n = 661 in mood analyses ) . To be included in analyses , women must have provided baseline data , and data from at least one post-baseline visit . The mean length of follow-up was 2.85 y ( st and ard deviation [ SD ] = 0.49 ) for cognitive outcomes and 2.76 ( SD = 0.57 ) for mood outcomes . No treatment-related benefits were found on cognitive outcomes . For mood , model estimates indicated that women treated with o-CEE showed improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms over the 48 mo of treatment , compared to women on placebo . The model estimate for the depression subscale was −5.36 × 10−2 ( 95 % CI , −8.27 × 10−2 to −2.44 × 10−2 ; ES = 0.49 , p < 0.001 ) and for the anxiety subscale was −3.01 × 10−2 ( 95 % CI , −5.09 × 10−2 to −9.34 × 10−3 ; ES = 0.26 , p < 0.001 ) . Mood outcomes for women r and omized to t-E2 were similar to those for women on placebo . Importantly , the KEEPS-Cog results can not be extrapolated to treatment longer than 4 y. Conclusions The KEEPS-Cog findings suggest that for recently postmenopausal women , MHT did not alter cognition as hypothesized . However , beneficial mood effects with small to medium ESs were noted with 4 y of o-CEE , but not with 4 y of t-E2 . The generalizability of these findings is limited to recently postmenopausal women with low cardiovascular risk profiles . Trial Registration Clinical Trials.gov NCT00154180 and
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 .