However, findings from several clinical trials have emerged that showed this was not true. In fact, long-term use of hormone replacement therapy poses serious risks and may increase the risk of heart attack
What's the Heart Health Risk Associated With Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy can involve the use of estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestin. Each has a slightly different effect on a woman's health, including her heart health.
Research has shown that estrogen-plus-progestin hormone replacement therapy increased women's risk for:
However, this type of hormone replacement therapy had some benefits. For example, it reduced the risk for colorectal cancer
and bone fractures.
Estrogen-alone hormone replacement therapy also increased the risk for certain medical conditions, including:
This type of hormone replacement therapy had no effect on heart disease
or colorectal cancer and an uncertain effect on breast cancer. Estrogen alone offered no protection against memory loss, and there were more cases of dementia in those who took the therapy than those on the placebo, although the increase was not statistically significant. Estrogen alone reduced the risk for bone fractures.