No evidence shows that hormone therapy started soon after menopause has a beneficial effect, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology (2009 May 25, doi:10.1093/aje/kwp115). The authors found no support for the postmenopausal oestrogen timing hypothesis—that is, that treatment initiated soon after menopause prevents coronary heart disease and that treatment started later has a null or adverse effect.

The US authors further analysed results from the Women’s Health Initiative randomised controlled trials of 0.625 mg/day of conjugated equine oestrogens (CEE) among 10 739 women after hysterectomy and conjugated equine oestrogens plus 2.5 mg/day of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) among 16 608 women with an intact uterus. The trials were designed to look at the effects …