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AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 Abstract

Hormone therapy not linked to higher heart risk in 52,330 women

Combined rates of plaque-related artery disease, vein clots or death before 80 were 10.05 per 1,000 person-years in both hormone therapy users and non-users.

Paper by Nissim Arbib, Yael Barkan, Eitan Ernest Winter, +4 more authorsGil Lavie · Meir Hosp · Clalit Health Services
Artery cross-sections with similarly open passages and small plaques sit above two groups of women, with a hormone molecule beside one group.

Our read

Interventions
Studied:
Cohort study of 52,330 women aged 45-59 years, mean follow-up 12 years, against non-initiators
What changed:
Composite cardiovascular event rates did not differ: 10.05 against 10.05 per 1,000 person-years in non-initiators
The catch:
The findings cover only women aged 45-59 without prior artery disease, clots, or cancer
Why it’s aging research:
It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper
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In Israel, 52,330 women aged 45–59 without prior artery disease caused by fatty buildup, blood clots in veins or cancer were compared in an observational study designed to mimic a randomized trial. Researchers matched 26,165 women starting hormone replacement therapy to 26,165 non-users using health records. Most used contemporary oral or skin-delivered formulations. Follow-up averaged 12 years and extended up to 23 years.

Per 1,000 years of combined follow-up, rates in users versus non-users were 0.56 versus 0.56 for vein clots, 7.82 versus 7.99 for artery disease, and 2.13 versus 2.10 for death before 80. Adjusted analyses found no association with higher risk of any outcome. Findings were consistent across hormone therapy types and delivery routes.

Why it matters

Heart and blood-vessel safety as women age matters when weighing hormone therapy in midlife. The authors said the findings supported individualized counseling.

Caveats

Women starting hormone therapy may have differed from non-users in ways that health records and matching did not capture. Reported in a conference abstract, the findings cover women starting at ages 45–59 without prior plaque-related artery disease, vein clots or cancer.

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