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 .
Estrogen alone in postmenopausal women and breast cancer detection by means of mammography and breast biopsy.
PURPOSE As the influence of estrogen alone on breast cancer detection is not established , we examined this issue in the Women 's Health Initiative trial , which r and omly assigned 10,739 postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy to conjugated equine estrogen ( CEE ; 0.625 mg/d ) or placebo . METHODS Screening mammography and breast exams were performed at baseline and annually . Breast biopsies were based on clinical findings . Effects of CEE alone on breast cancer detection were determined by using receiver operating characteristic ( ROC ) analyses of mammogram performance . RESULTS After a 7.1-year mean follow-up , fewer invasive breast cancers were diagnosed in the CEE than in the placebo group , but the difference was not statistically significant . Use of CEE alone increased mammograms with short-interval follow-up recommendations ( cumulative , 39.2 % v 29.6.3 % ; P < .001 ) but not abnormal mammograms ( ie , those suggestive of or highly suggestive of malignancy ; cumulative , 7.3 % v 7.0 % ; P = .41 ) . Breast biopsies were more frequent in the CEE group ( cumulative , 12.5 % v 10.7 % ; P = .004 ) and less commonly diagnosed as cancer ( 8.9 % v 15.8 % , respectively , with positive biopsies ; P = .04 ) . Mammographic breast cancer detection in the CEE group was significantly compromised only in the early years of use . CONCLUSION CEE alone use for 5 years results in approximately one in 11 and one in 50 women having otherwise avoidable mammograms with short-interval follow-up recommendations or breast biopsies , respectively . Although the breast biopsies on CEE were less commonly diagnosed as cancer , breast cancer detection was not substantially compromised . These findings differ from estrogen-plus-progestin use , for which significantly increased abnormal mammograms and a compromise in breast cancer detection are seen
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 .