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 .
Impact of Type 2 Diabetes and Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy on Incidence of Cognitive Impairment in Older Women
OBJECTIVE In older women , higher levels of estrogen may exacerbate the increased risk for cognitive impairment conveyed by diabetes . We examined whether the effect of postmenopausal hormone therapy ( HT ) on cognitive impairment incidence differs depending on type 2 diabetes . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Women ’s Health Initiative ( WHI ) r and omized clinical trials assigned women to HT ( 0.625 mg/day conjugated equine estrogens with or without [ i.e. , unopposed ] 2.5 mg/day medroxyprogesterone acetate ) or matching placebo for an average of 4.7–5.9 years . A total of 7,233 women , aged 65–80 years , were classified according to type 2 diabetes status and followed for probable dementia and cognitive impairment ( mild cognitive impairment or dementia ) . RESULTS Through a maximum of 18 years of follow-up , women with diabetes had increased risk of probable dementia ( hazard ratio [ HR ] 1.54 [ 95 % CI 1.16–2.06 ] ) and cognitive impairment ( HR 1.83 [ 1.50–2.23 ] ) . The combination of diabetes and r and om assignment to HT increased their risk of dementia ( HR 2.12 [ 1.47–3.06 ] ) and cognitive impairment ( HR 2.20 [ 1.70–2.87 ] ) compared with women without these conditions , interaction P = 0.09 and P = 0.08 . These interactions appeared to be limited to women assigned to unopposed conjugated equine estrogens . CONCLUSIONS These analyses provide additional support to a prior report that higher levels of estrogen may exacerbate risks that type 2 diabetes poses for cognitive function in older women . The role estrogen plays in suppressing non – glucose-based energy sources in the brain may explain this interaction
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 .