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 .
Arterial imaging outcomes and cardiovascular risk factors in recently menopausal women: a randomized trial.
BACKGROUND Whether menopausal hormone therapy ( MHT ) protects against cardiovascular disease ( CVD )  remains unclear . OBJECTIVE To assess atherosclerosis progression and CVD risk factors after MHT initiated in early menopause . DESIGN R and omized , controlled trial . ( Clinical Trials.gov : NCT00154180 ) . SETTING Nine U.S. academic centers . PARTICIPANTS Healthy menopausal women aged 42 to 58 years between 6 and 36 months from last menses without prior CVD events who had a coronary artery calcium ( CAC ) score less than 50 Agatston units and had not received estrogen or lipid-lowering therapy for at least 90 days . INTERVENTION Oral conjugated equine estrogens ( o-CEE ) , 0.45 mg/d , or transdermal 17β-estradiol ( t-E2 ) , 50 mcg/d , each with 200 mg of oral progesterone for 12 days per month , or placebo for 48 months . MEASUREMENTS Primary end point was annual change in carotid artery intima-media thickness ( CIMT ) . Secondary end points included changes in markers of CVD risk . RESULTS Of 727 r and omly assigned women , 89.3 % had at least 1 follow-up CIMT and 79.8 % had CIMT at 48 months . Mean CIMT increases of 0.007 mm/y were similar across groups . The percentages of participants in whom CAC score increased did not differ significantly across groups . No changes in blood pressure were observed with o-CEE or t-E2 . Low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels improved and levels of C-reactive protein and sex hormone-binding globulin but not interleukin-6 increased with o-CEE . Insulin resistance decreased with t-E2 . Serious adverse events did not differ by treatment . LIMITATION Power to compare clinical events was insufficient . CONCLUSION Four years of early MHT did not affect progression of atherosclerosis despite improving some markers of CVD risk . PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Aurora Foundation
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 .