Risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)

Updated summary of the effects of orally administered CEE alone or combined with MPA in women ages 50 to 59 years during intervention phase of WHI. One set of analyses examined the risks and benefits of these agents in women ages 50 to 59 years. This figure plots these data, which are expressed here as excess risks and benefits per 1000 women using MHT for five years. Because women deciding to use MHT are more likely to continue this for a period of years rather than one year, this figure is constructed according to that assumption. WHI studies were not powered for age-related subset analyses, and none of the data presented in the figure are statistically significant. Nonetheless, this figure represents the best estimates that are available at the present time and are likely more reliable than similar estimates based on observational studies as reported previously in The Endocrine Society Scientific Statement.
The HR (95% CI) values for the bars in the figure are listed here with reference to the alphabetical designations shown next to the bars: (a) HR 0.60 (0.35-1.04); (b) HR 1.34 (0.82-2.19); (c) HR 0.82 (0.50-1.34); (d) HR 1.21 (0.81-1.80); (e) HR 0.99 (0.53-1.85); (f) HR 1.51 (0.81-2.82); (g) HR 1.53 (0.63-3.75); (h) HR 2.05 (0.89-4.71); (i) HR 1.66 (0.76-3.67); (j) HR 3.01 (1.36-6.66); (k) HR 0.71 (0.30-1.67); (l) HR 0.79 (0.29-2.18); (m) HR 1.00 (ns-ns); (n) HR 1.12 (0.45-2.75); (o) HR 0.62 (0.30-1.29); (p) HR 0.90 (0.72-1.11); (q) HR 0.82 (0.68-1.00); (r) HR 5.01 (0.59-42.9); (s) HR 0.17 (0.02-1.45); (t) HR 0.70 (0.46-1.09); (u) HR 0.67 (0.43-1.04); (v) HR 0.83 (0.67-1.04); and (w) HR 0.85 (0.66-1.09). (RJ Santen, et al. Competency in menopause management: whither goest the internist? J Women's Health (Larchmt) 2014; 23:281, courtesy of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc).