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 .
Postmenopausal hormone therapy and change in mammographic density.
BACKGROUND Mammographic density is an independent risk factor for breast cancer . Postmenopausal hormone use is associated with an increase in mammographic density , but the magnitude of the density increase is unknown . METHODS Baseline and 12-month mammograms were obtained for 571 ( 65 % ) of the 875 women , aged 45 - 64 years , who were enrolled in the Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions Trial and r and omly assigned to receive placebo , daily conjugated equine estrogens at 0.625 mg/day ( CEE ) , daily CEE and medroxyprogesterone acetate ( MPA ) at 10 mg/day on days 1 - 12 ( CEE+MPA-cyclic ) , daily CEE and MPA at 2.5 mg/day ( CEE+MPA-continuous ) , or daily CEE and micronized progesterone ( MP ) at 200 mg/day on days 1 - 12 ( CEE+MP ) . We analyzed digitized mammograms to determine the percentage of the left breast that was composed of dense tissue ( i.e. , mammographic percent density ) . Linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of treatments on the change in mammographic percent density between baseline and 12 months , before and after adjustment for possible confounders . All statistical tests were two-sided . RESULTS The adjusted absolute mean changes in mammographic percent density over 12 months were 4.76 % ( 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] = 3.29 % to 6.23 % ) , 4.58 % ( 95 % CI = 3.19 % to 5.97 % ) , and 3.08 % ( 95 % CI = 1.65 % to 4.51 % ) for women in the CEE+MPA-cyclic , CEE+MPA-continuous , and CEE-MP groups , respectively . Each of those absolute mean changes was statistically significantly different from the adjusted absolute mean change in mammographic percent density for women in the placebo group , which was -0.07 % ( 95 % CI = -1.50 % to 1.38 % ) . CONCLUSION Greater mammographic density was associated with the use of estrogen/progestin combination therapy , regardless of how the progestin was given , but not with the use of estrogen only
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 .