Benefits and Risks of Menopausal Hormone Therapy

Abstract

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is a supplemental treatment with exogenous estrogen for women with ovarian failure to solve health problems related to low sex hormone. It is no doubt that MHT is beneficial for relieving menopausal symptoms, treating genitourinary atrophy of menopause, and preventing osteoporosis. MHT has undergone nearly 80 years of development, and understanding of its benefits and risks has been changing over time. Particularly, the publication of the report of mid-term research of Women's Health Initiative that is a randomized controlled trial in 2002 largely influenced the application of MHT globally. It was reported that the use of conjugated equine estrogens(CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate(MPA) was associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer in old women, which reencouraged the exploration of benefits and risks of MHT to menopausal women in the past 18 years. Today, it is widely accepted that the effects of MHT are related to several factors, including age at which MHT is started, age when menopause occurs, the type, dosage and route of MHT, duration of treatment, health status, and whether MHT is standardized and well-managed. This article discussed the benefits and risks of MHT based on various guidelines, consensus and articles on MHT published in the past ten years.