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 in postmenopausal women.
BACKGROUND Although the Women 's Health Initiative ( WHI ) trial of estrogen plus progestin in postmenopausal women identified more overall health risks than benefits among women in the hormone group , the use of estrogen plus progestin was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of colorectal cancer . We analyzed features of the colorectal cancers that developed and their relation to the characteristics of the participants . METHODS In the WHI trial , 16,608 postmenopausal women who were 50 to 79 years of age and had an intact uterus were r and omly assigned to a combination of conjugated equine estrogens ( 0.625 mg per day ) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate ( 2.5 mg per day ) or placebo . The main outcome measures were the incidence , stages , and types of colorectal cancer , as determined by blinded central adjudication . RESULTS There were 43 invasive colorectal cancers in the hormone group and 72 in the placebo group ( hazard ratio , 0.56 ; 95 percent confidence interval , 0.38 to 0.81 ; P=0.003 ) . The invasive colorectal cancers in the hormone group were similar in histologic features and grade to those in the placebo group but with a greater number of positive lymph nodes ( mean + /-SD , 3.2+/-4.1 vs. 0.8+/-1.7 ; P=0.002 ) and were more advanced ( regional or metastatic disease , 76.2 percent vs. 48.5 percent ; P=0.004 ) . In exploratory analyses , women in the hormone group with antecedent vaginal bleeding had colorectal cancers with a greater number of positive nodes than women in the hormone group who did not have vaginal bleeding ( 3.8+/-4.3 vs. 0.7+/-1.5 nodes , P=0.006 ) . CONCLUSIONS Relatively short-term use of estrogen plus progestin was associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer . However , colorectal cancers in women who took estrogen plus progestin were diagnosed at a more advanced stage than those in women who took placebo
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 .