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Menopausal Hormone Therapy

Read findings in the context of the people, treatments and outcomes studied.

4 cited sources38 recorded findingsStudy findings updated

AI-assisted research summary. These summaries are for general information. Read the original source for the full study and its limitations.

THE SHORT VERSION

What’s worth knowing.

The key findings, what they mean, and the context that matters.

THE HEADLINE TAKEAWAY27%lower relative risk

Estrogen-only and continuous combined regimens probably reduced clinical fractures

Oral estrogen-only therapy probably had a 27% lower relative risk of all clinical fractures than placebo. Continuous combined therapy also probably reduced fractures.

Oral conjugated equine estrogen was compared with placebo among 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy, with seven years' average follow-up. About 30% were aged 50 to 59; applicability to current therapies is limited. Both fracture findings were moderate-certainty.

See the evidence

27% lower relative risk, calculated from RR 0.73. This is not an absolute percentage-point difference.

Risk of all clinical fractures with estrogen-only conjugated equine estrogen versus placebo among 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy, with an average follow-up of seven years; moderate-certainty evidence. The result was based on one study using oral hormone therapy, which may not represent currently used therapies, and only about 30% of participants were aged 50 to 59 years at baseline.

RR 0.73
95% CI: 0.65-0.80

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Risk of all clinical fractures with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo; probable reduction, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 0.78
95% CI: 0.71-0.86

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

02

Breast-cancer risk probably increased with continuous combined therapy

27%higher relative risk

Compared with placebo, continuous combined therapy probably increased breast-cancer risk. It may also have increased stroke, blood clots in veins and gallbladder disease requiring surgery.

The breast-cancer, stroke and venous-thromboembolism comparisons involved postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; that population detail is not available here for the gallbladder finding, which included 14,203 participants. Breast-cancer evidence was moderate-certainty; the other findings were low-certainty. Follow-up is not available in this summary.

See the evidence

27% higher relative risk, calculated from RR 1.27. This is not an absolute percentage-point difference.

Breast-cancer risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 1.27
95% CI: 1.03-1.56

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Stroke risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; possible increase, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

RR 1.39
95% CI: 1.09-2.09

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Venous-thromboembolism risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; possible increase, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

RR 2.03
95% CI: 1.55-6.64

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Gallbladder disease requiring surgery with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo; possible increase among 14,203 participants, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

RR 1.64
95% CI: 1.30-2.06

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

03

Estrogen-only therapy probably increased stroke and gallbladder-surgery risks

33%higher relative risk

Compared with placebo, estrogen-only therapy probably had a 33% higher relative risk of stroke. It also probably increased gallbladder disease requiring surgery. Breast-cancer and venous-thromboembolism differences were not established.

These comparisons involved postmenopausal women after hysterectomy. Each finding was based on one study and rated moderate-certainty; follow-up is not available in this summary.

See the evidence

33% higher relative risk, calculated from RR 1.33. This is not an absolute percentage-point difference.

Stroke risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 1.33
95% CI: 1.06-1.67

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Gallbladder disease requiring surgery with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 1.78
95% CI: 1.42-2.24

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Breast-cancer risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 0.79
95% CI: 0.61-1.01

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Venous-thromboembolism risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 1.32
95% CI: 1.00-1.74

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

04

Coronary-event differences were unclear for both studied regimens

No clear difference

Neither estrogen-only nor continuous combined therapy established a coronary-event difference compared with placebo.

The estrogen-only comparison involved 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy with average follow-up of seven years. The continuous combined comparison involved postmenopausal women with an intact uterus with mean follow-up of 5.6 years; both findings were moderate-certainty.

See the evidence

The reported result does not establish a difference; it does not prove equivalence.

Coronary-event risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference after an average of seven years, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 0.94
95% CI: 0.78-1.13

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

Coronary-event risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study with mean follow-up of 5.6 years and moderate-certainty evidence.

RR 1.17
95% CI: 0.95-1.44

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Added

05

A model projected lower costs but more breast-cancer cases

Both strategies were projected to lower costs and gain quality-adjusted life-years versus no hormone therapy, and sensitivity analysis favored both across tested thresholds. Both also projected more breast-cancer cases.

A Markov model projected lifetime outcomes for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms, assuming 5 years of treatment. Transdermal estradiol was modeled for women without a uterus, and transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone for women with a uterus; these are projections, not observed outcomes.

See the evidence

Markov-model projection comparing 5 years of transdermal estradiol with no MHT for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus.

$135,396,560 lower cost and 33,196 QALYs gained per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

Added

Markov-model projection comparing the transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone strategy with no MHT for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus, assuming 5 years of use.

$127,738,990 lower cost and 33,083 QALYs gained per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

Added

Probabilistic sensitivity analysis for both modeled MHT strategies.

Absolute dominance at all willingness-to-pay thresholds up to $200,000

Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

Added

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

87 more breast cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

Added

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

46 more breast cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

Added

06

Parkinson’s disease risk remained unclear across hormone-therapy analyses

The overall estimate did not establish an association with Parkinson’s disease, and neither estrogen-only analysis did. One combined estrogen-progestin analysis found higher risk, but the multilevel combined analysis was unclear and the interaction test did not establish formulation differences.

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed hormone-therapy exposure and Parkinson’s disease risk. Underlying designs, participant characteristics, follow-up and evidence quality are not available in this summary, limiting causal interpretation.

See the evidence

Overall hormone therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

RR 1.08
95% CI 0.94-1.23

Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

Added

Estrogen-only therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

RR 1.01
95% CI 0.81-1.27

Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

Added

Estrogen-only therapy in multilevel analysis

RR 1.03
95% CI 0.83-1.27

Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

Added

Combined estrogen-progestin therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

RR 1.40
95% CI 1.07-1.82

Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

Added

Combined therapy in multilevel analysis

RR 1.33
95% CI 1.00-1.77

Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

Added

Interaction test comparing Parkinson's disease risk estimates between hormone-therapy formulations

p = 0.12

Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

Added

Study-specific findings. Different populations, treatments and follow-up periods can produce different results.

THE RESEARCH, AS IT ARRIVES

Latest studies.

The newest findings added to this collection.
The learning from each, already distilled.

  1. STUDY 01Findings added
    TL;DR

    Continuous combined therapy probably reduced fractures; breast-cancer risk probably increased

    Continuous combined therapy probably reduced all clinical fractures but probably increased breast-cancer risk versus placebo. It may have increased stroke, blood clots in veins and gallbladder disease requiring surgery; coronary-event and lung-cancer differences were not established.

    Continuous combined therapy was compared with placebo. Breast-cancer, stroke, clot, coronary and lung-cancer findings involved postmenopausal women with an intact uterus. Gallbladder surgery included 14,203 participants. Only coronary follow-up is available here, averaging 5.6 years. Evidence was moderate-certainty for fractures, breast cancer, coronary events and lung cancer; other findings were low-certainty.

    Estrogen-only therapy probably reduced fractures but probably increased stroke

    Estrogen-only therapy probably reduced all clinical fractures but probably increased stroke and gallbladder disease requiring surgery versus placebo. No clear difference was established for breast cancer, coronary events, blood clots in veins or lung cancer.

    For fractures, oral conjugated equine estrogen was compared with placebo among 10,739 women after hysterectomy; about 30% were aged 50 to 59. Fracture and coronary follow-up averaged seven years; other follow-up is unavailable here. Applicability to current therapies is limited. All findings were moderate-certainty except lung cancer, which was low-certainty.

    Study details & original results

    Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

    Risk of all clinical fractures with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo; probable reduction, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 0.78
    95% CI: 0.71-0.86

    Breast-cancer risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.27
    95% CI: 1.03-1.56

    Stroke risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; possible increase, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.39
    95% CI: 1.09-2.09

    Venous-thromboembolism risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; possible increase, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

    RR 2.03
    95% CI: 1.55-6.64

    Gallbladder disease requiring surgery with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo; possible increase among 14,203 participants, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.64
    95% CI: 1.30-2.06

    Coronary-event risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study with mean follow-up of 5.6 years and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.17
    95% CI: 0.95-1.44

    Lung-cancer risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.06
    95% CI: 0.77-1.46

    Citation in Hormone therapy

    Risk of all clinical fractures with estrogen-only conjugated equine estrogen versus placebo among 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy, with an average follow-up of seven years; moderate-certainty evidence. The result was based on one study using oral hormone therapy, which may not represent currently used therapies, and only about 30% of participants were aged 50 to 59 years at baseline.

    RR 0.73
    95% CI: 0.65-0.80

    Stroke risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.33
    95% CI: 1.06-1.67

    Gallbladder disease requiring surgery with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.78
    95% CI: 1.42-2.24

    Breast-cancer risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 0.79
    95% CI: 0.61-1.01

    Coronary-event risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference after an average of seven years, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 0.94
    95% CI: 0.78-1.13

    Venous-thromboembolism risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.32
    95% CI: 1.00-1.74

    Lung-cancer risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; possibly little to no difference, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

    RR 1.04
    95% CI: 0.73-1.48

    Citation in Hormone therapy
  2. STUDY 02Findings added
    TL;DR

    The model projected lower costs and fewer lifetime deaths

    Both strategies projected lower costs, more quality-adjusted life-years, fewer deaths and fewer atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease cases than no hormone therapy. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis favored both at all tested willingness-to-pay thresholds.

    A Markov model projected lifetime outcomes for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms, assuming 5 years of treatment. Transdermal estradiol was modeled for women without a uterus, and transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone for women with a uterus; all results are projections rather than observed costs or events.

    Modeled fracture gains came with mixed cancer projections

    Both strategies projected fewer hip fractures but more breast-cancer cases. Colon-cancer cases were projected to fall with transdermal estradiol alone and rise with transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone.

    A Markov model projected lifetime outcomes for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms, assuming 5 years of treatment. Transdermal estradiol was modeled for women without a uterus, and transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone for women with a uterus; these are projections rather than observed events.

    Study details & original results

    Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

    Markov-model projection comparing 5 years of transdermal estradiol with no MHT for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus.

    $135,396,560 lower cost and 33,196 QALYs gained per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection comparing the transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone strategy with no MHT for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus, assuming 5 years of use.

    $127,738,990 lower cost and 33,083 QALYs gained per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Probabilistic sensitivity analysis for both modeled MHT strategies.

    Absolute dominance at all willingness-to-pay thresholds up to $200,000

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

    647 fewer deaths per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

    615 fewer deaths per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

    259 fewer ASCVD cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

    285 fewer ASCVD cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Citation in Hormone therapy

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

    181 fewer hip fractures per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

    183 fewer hip fractures per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

    87 more breast cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

    46 more breast cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

    105 fewer colon cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

    18 more colon cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetime

    Citation in Hormone therapy
  3. STUDY 03Findings added
    TL;DR

    Parkinson’s disease risk remained unclear across hormone-therapy analyses

    The overall estimate did not establish an association with Parkinson’s disease, and neither estrogen-only analysis did. One combined estrogen-progestin analysis found higher risk, but the multilevel combined analysis was unclear and the interaction test did not establish formulation differences.

    This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed hormone-therapy exposure and Parkinson’s disease risk. Underlying designs, participant characteristics, follow-up and evidence quality are not available in this summary, limiting causal interpretation.

    Study details & original results

    Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

    Overall hormone therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

    RR 1.08
    95% CI 0.94-1.23

    Estrogen-only therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

    RR 1.01
    95% CI 0.81-1.27

    Estrogen-only therapy in multilevel analysis

    RR 1.03
    95% CI 0.83-1.27

    Combined estrogen-progestin therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

    RR 1.40
    95% CI 1.07-1.82

    Combined therapy in multilevel analysis

    RR 1.33
    95% CI 1.00-1.77

    Interaction test comparing Parkinson's disease risk estimates between hormone-therapy formulations

    p = 0.12

    Citation in Hormone therapy
  4. STUDY 04Findings added
    TL;DR

    Two ovarian-cancer prevention strategies differed in sexual-function outcomes

    Sexual-function worsening affected 33.1% after one prevention strategy (RRSO) and 16.8% after the other (ISDO) at 6 months. Higher odds with RRSO persisted at 12 months; hormone-therapy users within that group had no clear worsening.

    Nonrandomized trial comparing two ovarian-cancer prevention surgical strategies, RRSO and ISDO. Their procedural details are not available in this summary. The hormone-therapy observation had no nonuser comparison and did not establish a treatment effect.

    Study details & original results

    Lu, Karen H et al.. Patient-Centered Approach to Surgical Prevention of Ovarian Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA network open. 2026.

    Clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 6 months after RRSO vs ISDO

    OR 2.00
    95% CI: 1.20-3.35

    RRSO patients with clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 6 months

    33.1%

    ISDO patients with clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 6 months

    16.8%

    Clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 12 months after RRSO vs ISDO

    OR 1.69
    95% CI: 1.09-2.63

    Sexual function and menopausal symptoms in RRSO patients who used hormone replacement therapy

    no significant worsening

    Citation in Hormone therapy
4 of 4 study updates

Dates show when findings were added here, not when papers were published. Study populations and comparisons differ.

WHEN YOU WANT TO GO DEEPER
See all 38 findingsOriginal results, comparisons and study details.
4 of 4 source groupsFindings stay together with their study.
SOURCE 0414 findings

Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

Coronary-event risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study with mean follow-up of 5.6 years and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.1795% CI: 0.95-1.44Source [4]

Stroke risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; possible increase, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.3995% CI: 1.09-2.09Source [4]
All 14 findings from this source

Venous-thromboembolism risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; possible increase, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 2.0395% CI: 1.55-6.64Source [4]

Breast-cancer risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.2795% CI: 1.03-1.56Source [4]

Lung-cancer risk with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women with an intact uterus; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.0695% CI: 0.77-1.46Source [4]

Gallbladder disease requiring surgery with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo; possible increase among 14,203 participants, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.6495% CI: 1.30-2.06Source [4]

Risk of all clinical fractures with continuous combined hormone therapy versus placebo; probable reduction, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 0.7895% CI: 0.71-0.86Source [4]

Coronary-event risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference after an average of seven years, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 0.9495% CI: 0.78-1.13Source [4]

Venous-thromboembolism risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.3295% CI: 1.00-1.74Source [4]

Breast-cancer risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probably little to no difference, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 0.7995% CI: 0.61-1.01Source [4]

Lung-cancer risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; possibly little to no difference, based on one WHI study and low-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.0495% CI: 0.73-1.48Source [4]

Stroke risk with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.3395% CI: 1.06-1.67Source [4]

Gallbladder disease requiring surgery with estrogen-only hormone therapy versus placebo in postmenopausal women after hysterectomy; probable increase, based on one WHI study and moderate-certainty evidence.

Added
RR 1.7895% CI: 1.42-2.24Source [4]

Risk of all clinical fractures with estrogen-only conjugated equine estrogen versus placebo among 10,739 postmenopausal women after hysterectomy, with an average follow-up of seven years; moderate-certainty evidence. The result was based on one study using oral hormone therapy, which may not represent currently used therapies, and only about 30% of participants were aged 50 to 59 years at baseline.

Added
RR 0.7395% CI: 0.65-0.80Source [4]
SOURCE 0313 findings

Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

Markov-model projection comparing 5 years of transdermal estradiol with no MHT for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus.

Added
$135,396,560 lower cost and 33,196 QALYs gained per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection comparing the transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone strategy with no MHT for hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus, assuming 5 years of use.

Added
$127,738,990 lower cost and 33,083 QALYs gained per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]
All 13 findings from this source

Probabilistic sensitivity analysis for both modeled MHT strategies.

Added
Absolute dominance at all willingness-to-pay thresholds up to $200,000Source [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

Added
259 fewer ASCVD cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

Added
105 fewer colon cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

Added
87 more breast cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

Added
181 fewer hip fractures per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and no uterus

Added
647 fewer deaths per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

Added
285 fewer ASCVD cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

Added
18 more colon cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

Added
46 more breast cancer cases per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

Added
183 fewer hip fractures per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]

Markov-model projection for 5 years of transdermal estradiol plus micronized progesterone versus no MHT in hypothetical 50-year-old women with vasomotor symptoms and a uterus

Added
615 fewer deaths per 10,000 patients over a lifetimeSource [3]
SOURCE 026 findings

Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

Overall hormone therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

Added
RR 1.0895% CI 0.94-1.23Source [2]

Combined estrogen-progestin therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

Added
RR 1.4095% CI 1.07-1.82Source [2]
All 6 findings from this source

Estrogen-only therapy and Parkinson's disease risk

Added
RR 1.0195% CI 0.81-1.27Source [2]

Combined therapy in multilevel analysis

Added
RR 1.3395% CI 1.00-1.77Source [2]

Estrogen-only therapy in multilevel analysis

Added
RR 1.0395% CI 0.83-1.27Source [2]

Interaction test comparing Parkinson's disease risk estimates between hormone-therapy formulations

Added
p = 0.12Source [2]
SOURCE 015 findings

Lu, Karen H et al.. Patient-Centered Approach to Surgical Prevention of Ovarian Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA network open. 2026.

Clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 6 months after RRSO vs ISDO

Added
OR 2.0095% CI: 1.20-3.35Source [1]

Clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 12 months after RRSO vs ISDO

Added
OR 1.6995% CI: 1.09-2.63Source [1]
All 5 findings from this source

RRSO patients with clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 6 months

Added

ISDO patients with clinically meaningful worsening of sexual function at 6 months

Added

Sexual function and menopausal symptoms in RRSO patients who used hormone replacement therapy

Added
no significant worseningSource [1]
Browse the 4 original sourcesThe full bibliography behind this monitor.
  1. [1]

    Lu, Karen H et al.. Patient-Centered Approach to Surgical Prevention of Ovarian Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA network open. 2026.

    Open original source in a new tab
  2. [2]

    Macedo, Victor Fellipe Bispo et al.. Differential effects of hormone therapy formulations on Parkinson's disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2026.

    Open original source in a new tab
  3. [3]

    Gill, Elizabeth et al.. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy.. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2026.

    Open original source in a new tab
  4. [4]

    Bofill Rodriguez, Magdalena et al.. Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026.

    Open original source in a new tab
ABOUT THIS MONITOR

The evidence, with its limits.

Study findings are generated with AI assistance and have not been reviewed by a clinician. The date on each finding records when it was added to this monitor; it is not the publication date or a clinical review date.

This monitor does not offer individual treatment advice. Bring personal health questions to a qualified clinician.