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 .
The effect of hormone replacement on physical performance in community-dwelling elderly women.
PURPOSE Our aim was to determine the effect of hormone replacement on physical performance measures , functional ability , physical activity , falls , and cognitive function in elderly women . SUBJECTS AND METHODS Following a 3-month , open-label , run-in phase , we r and omized 373 community-dwelling women aged 65 years and older to receive conjugated equine estrogen 0.625 mg/day plus or minus medroxyprogesterone 2.5 mg/day vs placebo for 3 years in a double-blind fashion . We assessed time to rise from a chair , timed walking , balance , Instrumental Activities of Daily Living , Physical Activity Scale of the Elderly , Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination , and falls . RESULTS Over 3 years , except for balance scores , performance measures declined significantly ( all P<.05 ) . There were no significant mean differences between women on hormone replacement versus placebo for rising time ( 0.1 , -0.5 to 0.7 seconds [ mean , 95 % confidence interval ] ) , walking normal ( 0.0 , -0.4 to 0.4 seconds ) , and walking fast ( 0.2 , -0.1 to 0.6 seconds ) . There were no significant mean differences between the two groups for the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living ( 0.1 , -0.1 to 0.3 points ) , Physical Activity Scale of the Elderly ( -3 , -15 to 8 points ) , Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination ( -0.1 , -0.3 to 0.3 points ) , or the proportion of participants reporting falls ( -1 , -11 to 9 % ) . CONCLUSION In elderly women , hormone replacement had no statistically significant effect on cognition or balance , nor did it prevent the age-related decline in physical measures of mobility , ability to rise from a chair , self-reported activities of daily living , physical activity scores , or falls
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 .