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 .
Treatment adherence in the Estonian postmenopausal hormone therapy (EPHT) trial [ISRCTN35338757].
OBJECTIVE To investigate treatment adherence and factors related to non-adherence in the Estonian postmenopausal hormone therapy ( EPHT ) trial . METHODS A total of 1823 postmenopausal women aged 50 - 64 years were recruited into the EPHT trial from 1999 to 2001 . They were r and omised into the blind group receiving continuous orally administered postmenopausal hormone therapy ( PHT ) or a placebo and to a non-blind group receiving open-label PHT or no drugs . A woman was classified as non-adherent , if she had stopped treatment for at least 6-month period in treatment arms or used PHT for at least 6-month period in the control group . Adherence was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method , and factors affecting adherence were studied with Cox proportional hazard modelling . RESULTS The rate of adherent women declined approximately 50 % during the first year in all treatment arms . Less than 10 % of the control group women started taking prescribed PHT . Older women , with lower education , with only one birth , never used oral contraceptives ( OC ) , with lower physical activity or who were dissatisfied with the information received from the trial staff , were more likely to discontinue . In treatment arms , the two most often cited reasons for non-adherence were side-effects and woman 's loss of interest in participation . Control group women started PHT due to the menopausal symptoms or on doctor 's recommendation . CONCLUSIONS The adherence was similar to that found for PHT use in everyday life . Higher adherence was related to younger age , higher education , previous OC use , physical activity and satisfaction with received information
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 .