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 .
Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study (HERS): design, methods, and baseline characteristics.
The Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study ( HERS ) is a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial design ed to test the efficacy and safety of estrogen plus progestin therapy for prevention of recurrent coronary heart disease ( CHD ) events in women . The participants are postmenopausal women with a uterus and with CHD as evidence d by prior myocardial infa rct ion , coronary artery bypass graft surgery , percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty , or other mechanical revascularization or at least 50 % occlusion of a major coronary artery . Between February 1993 and September 1994 , 20 HERS centers recruited and r and omized 2763 women . Participants ranged in age from 44 to 79 years , with a mean age of 66.7 ( SD 6.7 ) years . Most participants were white ( 89 % ) , married ( 57 % ) , and had completed high school or some college ( 80 % ) . As expected , the prevalence of coronary risk factors was high : 62 % were past or current smokers , 59 % had hypertension , 90 % had serum LDL-cholesterol of 100 mg/dL or higher , and 23 % had diabetes . Each woman was r and omly assigned to receive one tablet containing 0.625 mg conjugated estrogens plus 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate daily or an identical placebo . Participants will be evaluated every 4 months for an average of 4.2 years for the occurrence of CHD events ( CHD death and nonfatal myocardial infa rct ion ) . We will also assess other major CHD endpoints , including revascularization and hospitalization for unstable angina . The primary analysis will compare the rate of CHD events in women assigned to active treatment with the rate in those assigned to placebo . The trial was design ed to have power greater than 90 % to detect a 35 % reduction in the incidence of CHD events , assuming a 50 % lag in effect for 2 years and a 5 % annual event rate in the placebo group . The design , analysis , and conduct of the study are controlled by the Steering Committee of Principal Investigators and coordinated at the University of California , San Francisco . HERS is the largest trial of any intervention to reduce the risk of recurrent CHD events in women with heart disease and is the first controlled trial to seek evidence of the efficacy and safety of postmenopausal hormone therapy to prevent recurrent CHD events
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 .