Menopausal hormone therapy and long term mortality: nationwide, register based cohort study
Authors' conclusion
This nationwide cohort study did not find menopausal hormone therapy was associated with increased mortality.
Study context
- Population
- Danish women born 1950–1977 and alive at 45 years, followed from 45th birthday to 31 July 2023; excluded thrombophilia, liver disease, arterial or venous thrombosis, breast, endometrial or ovarian cancer, previous MHT or bilateral oophorectomy47,594 died
- Participants
- 876,805 women
- Exposure
- Systemic MHT vs no MHT
- MHTn = 104,086
- Outcome
- All cause mortality (death as registered in the Central Persons Register)
- Follow-up
- Median 14.3 years (IQR 7.9-21.0 years)
Methodological detailsCox regression, adjusted
- Cox regression, adjusted
Main finding
All cause mortality
Adjusted hazard ratio
0.96
95% CI 0.93–0.98
By group
MHT
54.9 deaths per 10 000 person years
Unexposed
35.5 per 10 000 person years
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
| Outcome | aHR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| All cause mortality by cumulative duration of MHT useMHT <1 yearsvs Unexposed | 1.01 (0.98–1.05) | |
| All cause mortality by cumulative duration of MHT useMHT 1-2.9 yearsvs Unexposed | 0.94 (0.89–0.98) | |
| All cause mortality by cumulative duration of MHT useMHT 3-4.9 yearsvs Unexposed | 0.90 (0.84–0.95) | |
| All cause mortality by cumulative duration of MHT useMHT 5-9.9 yearsvs Unexposed | 0.89 (0.84–0.95) | |
| All cause mortality by cumulative duration of MHT useMHT ≥10 yearsvs Unexposed | 0.98 (0.90–1.07) | |
| 0.512Adjusted hazard ratio (log scale) |
Mortality in women with bilateral oophorectomy at 45-54 years · per_group values are median age at death
- Mortality in women with bilateral oophorectomy at 45-54 years — Lower mortality hazard with MHT vs no MHT
- 27-34%
- Mortality in women with bilateral oophorectomy at 45-54 years: n = 703
Cause specific mortality (cardiovascular, cancer, other)
- No unequivocal differences in cause-specific mortality between groups
Original publication
Menopausal hormone therapy and long term mortality: nationwide, register based cohort study. BMJ. Published 18 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →