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 .
Conjugated equine estrogens and incidence of probable dementia and mild cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women: Women's Health Initiative Memory Study.
CONTEXT The Women 's Health Initiative Memory Study ( WHIMS ) previously found increased risk for dementia and no effect on mild cognitive impairment ( MCI ) in women treated with conjugated equine estrogens ( CEE ) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate ( MPA ) .  OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of CEE alone and CEE plus MPA on incidence of probable dementia and MCI in older women . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PARTICIPANTS R and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled clinical trials of CEE ( estrogen-alone trial ) or CEE plus MPA ( estrogen plus progestin trial ) in community-dwelling women aged 65 to 79 years , conducted from June 1995 to July 8 , 2002 ( estrogen plus progestin ; n = 4532 ) , or to February 29 , 2004 ( estrogen-alone ; n = 2947 ) , in 39 of the 40 WHI clinical centers . INTERVENTIONS In the estrogen-alone trial , 1 daily tablet containing either 0.625 mg/d of CEE vs matching placebo ; in the estrogen plus progestin trial , 1 daily tablet containing CEE ( 0.625 mg/d ) plus MPA ( 2.5 mg/d ) vs matching placebos . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Probable dementia and MCI . RESULTS In the estrogen-alone trial , 47 participants were diagnosed with probable dementia  , of whom 28 were assigned to CEE and 19 to placebo ( hazard ratio [ HR ] , 1.49 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 0.83 - 2.66 ) . Incidence rates for probable dementia in the estrogen-alone trial were statistically similar to those in the estrogen plus progestin trial ( 45 vs 22 per 10 000 person-years for CEE plus MPA vs placebo , respectively ; P = .11 ) . When data were pooled per the original WHIMS protocol , the overall HR for probable dementia was 1.76 ( 95 % CI , 1.19 - 2.60 ; P = .005 ) . After excluding participants with baseline Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores at or below the screening cut point , the HR was 1.77 ( 95 % CI , 0.74 - 4.23 ; P = .20 ) in the estrogen-alone trial and 2.19 ( 95 % CI , 1.25 - 3.84 ; P = .006 ) in the pooled trials . In the estrogen-alone trial , 76 participants were diagnosed with MCI in the CEE group vs 58 in the placebo group ( HR , 1.34 ; 95 % CI , 0.95 - 1.89 ) . In the combined trial data , the HR was similar ( 1.25 ; 95 % CI , 0.97 - 1.60 ) . In the estrogen-alone trial , 93 participants receiving CEE were diagnosed with either probable dementia or MCI vs 69 receiving placebo ( HR , 1.38 ; 95 % CI , 1.01 - 1.89 ; P = .04 ) . CONCLUSIONS Estrogen therapy alone did not reduce dementia or MCI incidence and increased the risk for both end points combined . Pooling data for estrogen alone and estrogen plus progestin result ed in increased risks for both end points . Use of hormone therapy to prevent dementia or cognitive decline in women 65 years of age or older is not recommended
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 .