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 .
Statin Therapy, Cardiovascular Events, and Total Mortality in the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS)
Background —Although effects of statins on cardiovascular outcomes are well established in men , fewer data exist for women . Furthermore , the effects of statins plus hormone replacement therapy ( HRT ) on cardiovascular outcomes are uncertain . Methods and Results —We examined statin use , cardiovascular events , and total mortality in the Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study ( HERS ) , a r and omized clinical trial of estrogen plus progestin versus placebo in postmenopausal women with heart disease ( n=2763 ) . A nonr and omized comparison of statin users and nonusers revealed lower rates of the primary outcome , nonfatal myocardial infa rct ion or coronary heart disease death ( relative hazard [RH]=0.79 , 95 % confidence intervals [ CI ] 0.63 to 0.99 , P = 0.04 ) , and total mortality ( RH=0.67 , 95 % CI 0.51 to 0.87 , P = 0.003 ) . Rates of venous thromboembolic events were also lower among statin users ( RH=0.45 , 95 % CI 0.23 to 0.88 , P = 0.02 ) . HRT result ed in a significant increase in early risk for primary events in women who did not use statins ( RH=1.75 , 95 % CI 1.02 to 3.03 , P = 0.04 ) but not in statin users ( RH=1.34 , 95 % CI 0.63 to 2.86 , P = 0.45 ) . Adjustment for postr and omization statin use showed no effect of HRT on risk for the primary outcome ( RH=0.96 , 95 % CI 0.77 to 1.29;P = 0.72 ) . Conclusions —In HERS , statin use was associated with lower rates of cardiovascular events , venous thromboembolic events , and total mortality . These data provide strong support for statin use in eligible women with coronary disease
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 .