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 .
Hormone replacement therapy and acquired resistance to activated protein C: results of a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Recent studies suggest that low‐dose oral contraceptives may cause acquired resistance to activated protein C ( APC ) . The aims of this study were to determine whether hormone replacement therapy ( HRT ) may also induce acquired APC resistance and to study the effects of APC resistance on the risk of recurrent thrombosis . The patients comprised 140 females with at least one previous venous thromboembolism ( VTE ) , who were r and omized to receive continuous treatment with 2 mg 17‐β‐oestradiol and 1 mg norethisterone acetate  ( n = 71 ) or placebo ( n = 69 ) . Normalized APC sensitivity ratios ( nAPCsr ) were calculated by measurement of the effect of APC on thrombin generation in plasma collected at baseline and after 3 months of treatment . Of the 140 women , 121 had plasma sample s collected both at baseline and after 3 months . The nAPCsr increased significantly ( P < 0·001 ) on HRT ( n = 62 ) , both in females not carrying the factor VLeiden mutation [ mean change 0·57 ( 95 % CI 0·45–0·70 ) , n = 50 ] and in females heterozygous for the factor VLeiden mutation [ mean change 1·10 ( 0·71–1·49 ) , n = 12 ] , but remained unchanged on placebo ( n = 59 ) . The baseline nAPCsr as well as the increase in nAPCsr associated with HRT use was not higher in the five women who subsequently developed recurrent VTE . Free protein S and free TFPI were both important parameters for the acquired APC resistant phenotype . We conclude that HRT diminishes the efficacy by which APC downregulates in‐vitro thrombin formation in a similar fashion to that observed with low‐dose oral contraceptives , but the increase in nAPCsr alone is not sufficient to explain the increased risk of VTE associated with use of HRT
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 .