The effects of short-term hormone replacement therapy on long-term bone mineral density

Introduction Short-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) relieves menopausal symptoms and increases bone mineral density (BMD), but bone loss reoccurs upon discontinuation. This study assesses whether short-term HRT provides long-term BMD benefits.Method This was a prospective study of women aged 50–54 years followed up for 9 years. Women were categorized into three groups according to the treatment they received: No-HRT (n = 340), Short-term HRT (2–4 years, n = 60), and Long-term HRT (9 years, n = 187).Results BMD increased significantly at the hip (2.4%, p < 0.001) and spine (8.0%, p < 0.001) over 9 years in the Long-term HRT group. Women without treatment lost BMD at the hip (−4.2%, p < 0.001) and spine (−3.5%, p < 0.001). Women in the Short-term HRT group had no significant loss of BMD at the hip (−1.6%, p = 0.08) or spine (−1.4%, p = 0.18) over 9 years. BMD in the Short-term HRT group was significantly higher at 9 years than in the No-HRT group at both spine (difference 0.023 g/cm2, p = 0.048) and h...