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 .
Pulsed estrogen therapy in prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A 2-year randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pulsed estrogen therapy ( intranasal 17β-estradiol ) in the prevention of  postmenopausal bone loss . A total of 386 women ( 40–65 years old ) , less than 5 years past menopause , were r and omized to intranasal placebo , 17β-estradiol 150 µg , or 300 µg daily for 2 years . Women with an intact uterus received micronised progesterone 200 mg per day , 14 days of each 28-day cycle . Women r and omised to placebo-treatment received placebo progesterone . The primary endpoints were changes in BMD at the spine ( L2–L4 ) and femoral neck . Secondary endpoints were changes in bone turnover markers : serum osteocalcin ( sOC ) as a marker of bone formation and urinary C-terminal telopeptides ( uCTX ) as a marker of bone resorption . BMD increased at all measured sites in women receiving active treatment in a dose-related manner , the difference compared to placebo being 5.2 % and 6.7 % at the spine , and 3.2 % and 4.7 % at the hip , respectively , with 150 μg and 300 μg ( P<0.001 ) . On the other h and , a decrease versus baseline of −3.2 % and −3.3 % at the spine and hip , respectively , was observed in women receiving placebo ( P<0.001 ) . In the patients with at least one risk factor for osteoporotic fracture , the difference between placebo and 150 μg or 300 µg was even higher at the spine ( 5.4 % and 7.4 % , respectively ) , and at the femoral neck ( 4.0 % and 5.2 % , respectively ) . Correspondingly , uCTX decreased from baseline by 39 % and 46 % , and sOC by 22 % and 27 % , in the 150 µg group and 300 µg group ( all P<0.001 versus placebo ) . A strong correlation was found between variations of bone turnover markers after 1 year and BMD after 2 years , emphasizing that bone markers can predict BMD response during hormonal treatment . Acceptability and general tolerance were good . This study demonstrates that pulsed estrogen therapy at the dose of 150 μg and 300-μg per day prevents bone loss in a dose-dependant manner at each site studied , and normalizes bone turnover markers to premenopausal levels
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 .