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 plus progestin and colorectal cancer incidence and mortality.
PURPOSE During the intervention phase in the Women 's Health Initiative ( WHI ) clinical trial , use of estrogen plus progestin reduced the colorectal cancer diagnosis rate , but the cancers were found at a substantially higher stage . To assess the clinical relevance of the findings , analyses of the influence of combined hormone therapy on colorectal cancer incidence and colorectal cancer mortality were conducted after extended follow-up . PATIENTS AND METHODS The WHI study was a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 16,608 postmenopausal women with an intact uterus who were r and omly assigned to daily 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen plus 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate ( n = 8,506 ) or matching placebo ( n = 8,102 ) . Colorectal cancer diagnosis rates and colorectal cancer mortality were assessed . RESULTS After a mean of 5.6 years ( st and ard deviation [ SD ] , 1.03 years ) of intervention and 11.6 years ( SD , 3.1 years ) of total follow-up , fewer colorectal cancers were diagnosed in the combined hormone therapy group compared with the placebo group ( diagnoses/year , 0.12 % v 0.16 % ; hazard ratio [ HR ] , 0.72 ; 95 % CI , 0.56 to 0.94 ; P = .014 ) . Bowel screening examinations were comparable between groups throughout . Cancers in the combined hormone therapy group more commonly had positive lymph nodes ( 50.5 % v 28.6 % ; P < .001 ) and were at higher stage ( regional or distant , 68.8 % v 51.4 % ; P = .003 ) . Although not statistically significant , there was a higher number of colorectal cancer deaths in the combined hormone therapy group ( 37 v 27 deaths ; 0.04 % v 0.03 % ; HR , 1.29 ; 95 % CI , 0.78 to 2.11 ; P = .320 ) . CONCLUSION The findings , suggestive of diagnostic delay , do not support a clinical ly meaningful benefit for combined hormone therapy on colorectal cancer
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 .