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# Does HRT increase or decrease lifespan?

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a common approach for helping women in perimenopause or postmenopause to reduce menopausal symptoms. While there are some side effects (like with all medications), there are also some benefits.

A 2017 [__study__](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28898378/) published in JAMA examined the effect of HRT on longevity and mortality rates.

Over 27,000 postmenopausal women (aged 50 to 79) from the US were included. The women were those who enrolled in clinical trials between the years 1993 and 1998. They were monitored, tracking both their age at the time of death and the specific causes, over a span of approximately 18 years until 2014.

They found that there was no significant increase in all-cause mortality or mortality from specific causes, such as cardiovascular disease or cancer, among women who received hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for five to seven years.

There was also a decreased risk of death from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or other dementia in women taking CEE. This may be from the favourable effects of hormone therapy on insulin resistance and diabetes, which can influence cognitive decline.

Other [__research__](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7219089/) has observed that postmenopausal women who use hormone replacement therapy (specifically oestrogen therapy) for more than 15 years have a lower risk of mortality compared to women who use it for shorter periods of time. Dosage may also be important, as lower dosages may provide a better survival rate than higher dosages.

Interestingly, the influence on longevity may not be the same for all, in part due to the leading causes of death. For example, in [__countries__](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447610/) where breast cancer is a leading cause of death for women, HRT may provide less of a benefit compared to countries where heart disease is a leading cause of death.