Reacción a "Hormone therapy for the menopause is associated with a slight increase in cardiovascular risk when taken orally"

There are two ways of taking menopausal hormone therapy. One is by mouth, and the other is transdermal, through the skin. The results of this large study suggest that with oral menopausal oestrogen therapy, there is a small increased risk of blood clots in the legs, heart attacks and stroke. But if you’re using it transdermally (patches), then there’s no increased risk. This study confirms the findings of other studies around the world. 

The overall risk is fairly small. If you think about 10,000 women taking oral treatment, there would be nine extra cases of blood clots in the legs, six of stroke and only three of myocardial infarction with oral menopausal hormone treatment. The risk increases slightly as you go from 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 years-old, but overall the risk it’s pretty small. The risk is also higher in women on higher oral doses. Starting on a lower dose is always the safest strategy. 

Nine per 10,000 women is one in 1,000, so it’s uncommon. But taking oral medication is associated with more of these risks than having the treatment through the skin.