Table 4.

Potential Benefits and Risks of Menstrual Hormone Therapy (MHT) in Postmenopausal Women

Possible benefit or risk
Menopausal symptoms	Most beneficial in alleviating hot flashes, night sweats, and related menopausal symptoms
Osteoporosis and fracture prevention	Effective, but benefit is lost with therapy cessation. Consider MHT in selected women if other effective treatments are not suitable
CHD prevention	Not recommended
Stroke	Increased risk
VTE	Increased risk
Urinary incontinence	Increased risk
Dementia	Increased risk
Cancer	Increased breast cancer risk with CEE+MPA. Decreased breast cancer risk with CEE-only. Decreased risk of colorectal cancer with CEE+MPA while on treatment only
Mortality	Neutral

CHD, coronary heart disease; VTE, venous thromboembolism; CEE, conjugated equine estrogen; MPA, medroxyprogesterone acetate.