“If women start HRT around the time of menopause,
the risk is very small and there appear to be
cardiovascular and bone protective benefits”.1
Umbrella
What may the Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease Umbrella include?
Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Coronary Heart Disease
- Heart Disease
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Hormone Therapy (HT)
- Ischemic Heart Disease
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)
Cardiovascular Diseases
What are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)?
DotS the definition of CVDs may vary. The World Health Organization’s definition is:
Heart Disease
What is heart disease?
DotS the definition of heart disease may vary. The (United States) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition is:
“The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack”.3
Type
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What can it be important to be clear about with hormone therapy (HT) and heart disease risk information?
It can be important to be clear about the type of HT and whether heart disease risk information is about – Estrogen Plus Progestogen HT or Estrogen-Alone HT.
Younger Than Age 60 or Not
What can it also be important to be clear about with HT and heart disease risk information?
It can also be important to be clear about whether HT and heart disease risk information is about women “younger than age 60 years or within 10 years of menopause” or not.
Younger Than Age 60
For women younger than age 60 or within 10 years of menopause, what is the association between HT and heart disease risk?
On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks, published February 2025, the Menopause Society (formerly the North American Menopause Society) explain:
“Some studies suggest that HT might be good for your heart if you start before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause”.4
After Age 60
For women after age 60 or further than 10 years from menopause, what is the association between HT and heart disease risk?
On page three in Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks – HRT Today – The Key Points, reviewed July 2026, the (British) Women’s Health Concern explain:
“If women start HRT around the time of menopause, the risk is very small and there appear to be cardiovascular and bone protective benefits. It is not usually appropriate for women over 60 to be starting HRT but as the WHI study showed, women initiating it over 60 years of age do not seem to be at increased risk of cardiovascular events or mortality”.5
Health Care Provider
If I choose to use HT what are my risks of heart disease?
In Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You? The Bottom Line: Hormone Therapy Isn’t All Good or All Bad the (United States) Mayo Clinic explain:
As researchers learn more about menopause hormone therapy and other menopause treatments, recommendations may change. But if you have menopause symptoms that disrupt your sleep or get in the way of daily life, it’s worthwhile to talk to your healthcare professional about treatment options”.6
Health Topics A-Z
Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease?
In Health Topics A-Z you may find:
Links
Where may I find Links related to Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease?
Your Country may have Links similar to:
Links
This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.New or Updated
- FDA Grand Rounds: FDA Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) Labeling: Historical Context & Recent Changes [June 2026]
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks [July 2026]
- Hot Flashes, HRT, and CVD: Timing Is Everything! [08 October 2026]
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cardiovascular Risk In Midlife Women With Vasomotor Symptoms [08 September 2026]
- Menopause Management for Women With Heart Disease [2026]
- The Menopause Society Show: Menopause & Cardiovascular Health [12 September 2026]
- BMS TV: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
- BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Can You Take Hormone Replacement Therapy If You Have Heart Disease?
- Consumer Video and Podcast Series: 2023 Consumer Videos and Podcasts – Menopause and Heart Disease
- Consumer Video and Podcast Series: 2024 Consumer Videos and Podcasts – Preparing for Your Menopause Healthcare Visit
- Coronary Heart Disease [+ Know the Difference]

- Deciding About Hormone Therapy
- Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
- Deep Vein Thrombosis
- FDA Grand Rounds: FDA Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) Labeling: Historical Context & Recent Changes
- Find A Member [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
- Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
- Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
- Finding the Right Hormone Treatments (HRT): Types, Doses and What Works
- From Cardiovascular Protection To Cardiovascular Risk: The Metamorphosis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy
- Goredforwomen.org [Go Red for Women, American Heart Association United States]

- HRT Questions Answered
- HRT Types and Doses | Dr Louise Newson
- HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
- HRT: How To Find the Right Dose & Type | Dr Louise Newson
- Handling Hot Flushes and Night Sweats| Dr Louise Newson
- Heart Disease, Family Health History, and Familial Hypercholesterolemia
- Heart Health for Women [+ Videos]
- Heart Health for Women [+ Videos]: Download Heart Health for Women Fact Sheet In Other Languages
- Heart Health, Hormones and Menopause With Dr Jeremy London | Dr Louise Newson Podcast
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): A Summary
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Alternatives To Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks
- Hormone Therapy
- Hormone Therapy In Postmenopausal Persons: Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions
- Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
- How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
- International Menopause Society (IMS) Recommendations and Key Messages on Women’s Midlife Health and Menopause
- Is It Too Late To Start HRT?
- Know Your Numbers They Could Just Save Your Life
- Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video] [Other Languages and Formats]
- Life’s Essential 8
- Listen To Your Heart: Women and Heart Disease
- Management of Menopause for Women With Cardiovascular Disease
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Menopause and the Heart Connection [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
- Menopausal Symptom Treatments
- Menopause
- Menopause

- Menopause Management for Women With Heart Disease
- Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease and Using HRT To Treat Menopause Symptoms
- Menopause and Heart Disease
- Menopause and Heart Disease
- Menopause and Your Heart: HRT Benefit or Risk To Your Heart?
- Menopause: Identification and Management [NICE Guideline]
- Menopause: Identification and Management [NICE Guideline]

- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Cardiovascular Disease
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Chelation for Coronary Heart Disease: What You Need To Know
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
- Online Events International Menopause Society]: IMS Partnership Symposia Series – Evaluating High-Risk Patients In Menopause At Risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
- Online Events [International Menopause Society]: IMS Partnership Symposia Series – What’s Hot? Options for Treatment of Hot Flushes 2025
- Online Events [International Menopause Society]: Past Webinars – 2025: Lifestyle Medicine
- Online Events [International Menopause Society]: Past Webinars – 2026: New IMS Recommendations: Evidence-Based Management of Vasomotor Symptoms
- Online Events [International Menopause Society]: Past Webinars – 2026: New IMS Recommendations – Lifestyle, Diet, Exercise
- Online Events [International Menopause Society]: Past Webinars – 2026: New IMS Recommendations – Midlife Body Changes
- Rethinking Menopausal Hormone Therapy: For Whom, What, When, and How Long?
- Risks and Benefits of MHT
- The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause
- The Benefits and Risks of Menopause Hormone Therapy for the Cardiovascular System In Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- The Menopause Society Show: Menopause & Cardiovascular Health
- The Women’s Health Initiative Trials: Clinical Messages
- Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Heart Disease, Risk Factors of Developing Heart Disease, and Can I Take Hormones?
- Video: Hormone Therapy Protects Bone, Heart, Brain Health During Menopause
- What Is Cardiovascular Disease?
- What Is Cardiovascular Disease?
- ‘What’s Normal Has Changed’: Navigating Menopausal Hormone Therapy As CVD Risk Grows
- Women & CVD

- World Heart Day [29 September]

Sources
Where may I find the Sources quoted?
You may find the Sources quoted at:
Sources
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks – HRT Today – The Key Points. Reviewed: July 2026:3.Women’s Health Concern https://www.womens-health-concern.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/11-NEW-WHC-FACTSHEET-HRT-BenefitsRisks-JULY2026-A.pdf Accessed: 09 October 2026
- Cardiovascular Diseases. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1 Accessed: 09 October 2026
- Heart Disease: About Heart Disease. 15 May 2024. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/ Accessed: 09 October 2026
- Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks. 2025:1. Menopause Society https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/default-document-library/MenoNote-Deciding-About-HT-2025.pdf Accessed: 09 October 2026
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks – HRT Today – The Key Points. Reviewed: July 2026:3.Women’s Health Concern https://www.womens-health-concern.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/11-NEW-WHC-FACTSHEET-HRT-BenefitsRisks-JULY2026-A.pdf Accessed: 09 October 2026
- Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You? The Bottom Line: Hormone Therapy Isn’t All Good or All Bad. 18 April 2025. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/in-depth/hormone-therapy/art-20046372 Accessed: 09 October 2026

