In an article published in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Medicine researchers have concluded that HRT almost certainly decreases mortality in younger postmenopausal women.

Writing in the article, Shelley R. Salpeter, MD, states, “It is clear that these findings need to be interpreted in the light of potential benefits and harms of hormone therapy. The available evidence indicates that hormone therapy in younger postmenopausal women increases the risk of breast cancer and pulmonary embolism and reduces the risk of cardiovascular events, colon cancer, and hip fracture.