Table 2.

Randomized primary prevention trials evaluating effects of menopausal hormone therapy on clinical and surrogate cardiovascular outcomes in healthy, recently postmenopausal women

Trial	MHT preparation and dose	N	Age (y)	Duration (y)	Outcomes
Clinical outcomes
WHI E-alone (117)	CEE 0.625 mg/d po	3313	50-59	7.2	Reduced MI, CAC, and revascularization
WHI E + P (117)	CEE 0.625 mg/d and MPA 2.5 mg/d po	5520	50-59	5.6	No benefit
DOPS (134)	17-B E2 2 mg/day and norethisterone acetate 1 mg 10 days/mo po	1006	45-58	10	Reduced composite serious adverse events: death, hospitalized MI, or CHF
Surrogate outcomes
KEEPS (135)	CEE 0.45 mg/d po or TD E2 50 mcg and progesterone 200 mg 12 days/mo po	727	42-58	4	No benefit cIMT or CAC
ELITE (136)	17-B E2 1 mg/d po and progesterone 45 mg vaginal gel 10 days/mo	596	55-64	5	Reduced cIMT early group No benefit CAC

Early <6 years since menopause vs late ≥10 years since menopause.

Abbreviations: CAC, coronary artery calcium; CEE, conjugated equine estrogens; CHF, congestive heart failure; cIMT, carotid intima-medial thickness; DOPS, Danish Osteoporosis Prevention Study (randomized, not blinded); E2, estradiol; E-alone, estrogen alone trial; E + P, estrogen plus progestogen; ELITE, Early vs Late Postmenopausal Treatment with Estradiol; KEEPS, Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study; MHT, menopausal hormone therapy; MI, myocardial infarction; MPA, medroxyprogesterone acetate; po, oral; TD, transdermal; WHI, Women's Health Initiative; y, years.