Hormone therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis management.

ABSTRACT

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) has been used for prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis for several decades. However, public concerns were raised over the safety of MHT after the initial report was published in 2002 by the Women's Health Initiative. We conducted a historical review on this subject, primarily focusing on level I evidence from randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and summarized high-quality evidence on the efficacy and safety of MHT in management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Clinical issues were also discussed on MHT initiation, identification of treatment candidates and treatment duration, as well as discontinuation of MHT.