AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 AbstractNov 9, 2026, 01:39 GMT

Hormone therapy not linked to fewer deaths after premature menopause

Over 10 years, 1.6% of hormone therapy users died versus 1.7% of nonusers; hospitalization, worsening heart failure and blood-clot hazards were higher among users.

Paper by Tze Ern Ong, Shi Min Lai, Desmond How Chiat Tan, +5Mark Anthony Ntow · Interfaith Medical Center

Heart cross-sections show an enlarged heart beside hormone molecules and a larger vein clot, facing a smaller heart and clot, with upright figures nearby.

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Interventions

Studied:: Cohort study of women with premature menopause, 10 years, against hormone therapy nonusers
What changed:: Death from any cause did not differ: 1.6% among hormone therapy users versus 1.7% among nonusers over 10 years
The catch:: Reasons for prescribing hormone therapy could explain outcome differences despite matching
In the record:: The 499th paper on hormone replacement therapy with results in people; 985 on record in all. Its result on venous thromboembolism agrees with 7 of 9 other findings on record; 1 points the other way and 1 found no change.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper

Women aged 18 to 40 with premature menopause were compared in an observational study using the TriNetX Analytics Network. Among 78,081 women, researchers matched 4,613 hormone therapy users with 4,613 nonusers based on demographics, cardiovascular medications and other health conditions.

Hormone therapy was not linked to lower mortality or fewer heart attacks or strokes over 10 years. It was associated with higher hazards of hospitalization for any reason, which occurred in 32.0% of users versus 31.0% of nonusers. Worsening heart failure occurred in 4.2% versus 2.9%, and blood clots in veins in 1.8% versus 1.4%, respectively; both also had higher hazards among users. The authors supported assessing each woman’s cardiovascular and blood-clot risks before treatment.

Why it matters

Premature menopause is linked to higher cardiovascular risk, making the long-term balance of benefits and harms of hormone replacement an important question for care.

Caveats

Differences in why women received hormone therapy could have contributed to the outcomes despite matching. The findings concern women aged 18 to 40 with premature menopause, not women reaching menopause later; the conference abstract did not specify hormone doses or treatment duration.