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 postmenopausal hormone therapy on rheumatoid arthritis: the women's health initiative randomized controlled trials.
OBJECTIVE To study the effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy ( PHT ) on the incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) . METHODS The Women 's Health Initiative r and omized controlled trials evaluated the effects of unopposed estrogen ( E-alone ) and estrogen plus progestin ( E+P ) compared with placebo on a diverse set of health outcomes over 7.1 and 5.6 years , respectively . RA cases were identified using historical and medication data . The hazard of developing RA was estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models . Disease symptom severity was estimated using the Short Form 36 ( SF-36 ) and self-reported joint pain scores at baseline and after 1 year . Mean changes in severity were compared using linear regression models . RESULTS Of the 27,347 participants , 63 prevalent cases and 105 incident cases of RA were identified . A nonsignificant reduction in the risk of developing RA ( hazard ratio 0.74 ; 95 % confidence interval [ 95 % CI ] 0.51 , 1.10 ) was noted with PHT use . PHT use led to improved SF-36 scores in unadjusted analyses ( percent change 12.5 % ; 95 % CI -24.45 , -0.57 ) but not after adjustment for relevant covariates ( P = 0.33 ) . Nonsignificant improvements in joint pain scores were seen with PHT use ( odds ratio [ OR ] 4.10 ; 95 % CI 0.83 , 20.20 ) . PHT did not improve swelling ( OR 1.27 ; 95 % CI 0.08 , 19.63 ) or prevent new joint pains ( OR 0.72 ; 95 % CI 0.11 , 4.68 ) in RA participants . CONCLUSION There were no statistically significant differences in the risk of developing RA or the severity of RA between the PHT and placebo groups
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 .