Cindy Farquhar

A team from Denmark has analysed data from thousands of women aged between 50 and 69 to investigate a possible link between taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the menopause and an increased risk of vascular disease. The results suggest that oral HRT is associated with an increased risk of blood clots in the legs or lungs, regardless of the dose or duration of treatment. A slight increase in the risk of stroke and heart attack was also observed, but only when the oral therapy was taken at high doses and over a prolonged period. In contrast, no increased risk was observed with hormone therapy when it was administered transdermally, through the skin. The study is published in The BMJ.

The use of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause is associated with the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, even for short prescriptions before the age of 55, according to an analysis of data from the Danish national registry published in The BMJ. The research - which observes associations and cannot determine causality - also shows that the use of progesterone alone and vaginal oestrogen are not associated with the development of dementia.