Postmenopausal hormone therapy in clinical perspective

In Brief Although many of the risks and benefits of postmenopausal hormone therapy are known, only recently has the magnitude of these effects and their perspective to other therapies become more fully understood. Careful review of randomized controlled trials indicates that the risks of postmenopausal hormone therapy including breast cancer, stroke and venous thromboembolism are similar to other commonly used agents. Overall, these risks are rare (less than 1 event per 1,000 women) and even rarer when initiated in women less than 60 years of age or within 10 years of menopause. In addition, the literature indicates similar benefit of postmenopausal hormone therapy, in women who initiate hormone therapy in close proximity to menopause, to other medications used for the primary prevention of coronory heart disease in women. The purpose of this review is to put into clinical perspective the effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy relative to other acceptable and widely used medications and primary prevention therapies.