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 .
Effects of ultra-low-dose transdermal estradiol on cognition and health-related quality of life.
BACKGROUND Several small trials and many observational studies suggest that estrogen treatment in postmenopausal women improves cognition , but 2 large r and omized trials have shown harm . The effect of an ultra-low- dose of unopposed transdermal estradiol on cognition and health-related quality of life is unknown . OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of unopposed ultra-low-dose transdermal estradiol on cognitive function and quality of life in postmenopausal women . DESIGN R and omized , placebo-controlled , double-blind trial with 2-year follow-up . The main outcome of the trial was change in bone density . Changes in cognitive function and quality of life were preplanned secondary outcomes of the trial . SETTING Nine clinical centers in the United States . PARTICIPANTS Postmenopausal women ( N = 417 ) , aged 60 to 80 years , with a normal bone density for age and an intact uterus . INTERVENTION A weekly transdermal patch that delivers estradiol , 0.014 mg/d ( n = 208 ) , or placebo ( n = 209 ) . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Seven st and ardized cognitive tests ( a total of 10 scores ) administered at baseline and years 1 and 2 to test global cognitive function , verbal and visuospatial memory , language , executive function , and semantic memory . The 36-Item Short-Form General Health Survey was administered to assess health-related quality of life in physical and mental domains . The sample size provided 80 % power to detect a st and ardized effect of 0.29 SD , a small-to-moderate difference . RESULTS Baseline characteristics were similar in the 2 treatment groups . At 2 years of follow-up , we found no statistically significant differences between treatment groups in change on any of the cognitive test scores or on the 36-Item Short-Form General Health Survey ( P > .12 for all ) . There was no consistent evidence that the effect of treatment on change in cognitive or 36-Item Short-Form General Health Survey scores depended on the level of baseline endogenous estradiol . CONCLUSION Postmenopausal treatment with ultra-low-dose unopposed transdermal estradiol for 2 years had no effect on change in cognitive function or in health-related quality of life over 2 years of treatment
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 .