Menopause: Gynecology and Obstetrics: Merck Manual Professional

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec18/ch245/ch245a.html?qt=hormone%20replacement%20therapy&alt=sh#S18_CH245_T001

Table 1 Effects of Oral Hormone Therapy on Yearly Incidence* of Selected Disorders in Postmenopausal Women Disorder Without Treatment With Treatment Combined Estrogen-Progestin Therapy Breast cancer 30 38 Colorectal cancer 16 10 Coronary artery disease† 30 37 Dementia 22 45 Ischemic stroke 21 29 Osteoporosis 15 10 Pulmonary embolism 16 34 Estrogen-Only Therapy Hip fractures 17 11 Ischemic stroke 32 44 *Per 10,000 women. †Number of coronary events such as nonfatal acute coronary syndrome and death due to coronary artery disease. Last full review/revision July 2007 by Susan L. Hendrix, DO Content last modified July 2007 Physiologic menopause is established when menses have been absent for 1 yr. In the US, average age of physiologic menopause is 51. Perimenopause refers to the years before (duration varies greatly) and the 1 yr after the last menses. Hormone therapy: For many women, risks of oral hormone therapy outweigh the benefits. Women who have a uterus and are given an estrogen must also be given a progestin.