Can hormone therapy for menopause improve weight loss, bone health?

Once a person reaches menopause , they can often experience a wide array of life-disrupting symptoms, such as hot flashes , disrupted sleep , vaginal dryness , or mood swings . These are due to fluctuating or dropping hormone levels, particularly estrogen .

The main way of managing menopause symptoms is through hormone replacement therapy (HRT) , also known as menopause hormone therapy. Historically, doctors had been concerned that hormone therapy could sometimes result in serious side effects but the narrative is now shifting, as mounting evidence increasingly suggests not only that HRT is safe but that it may be associated with more benefits than previously thought.

Some research had suggested that HRT use was linked to heightened dementia risk but newer evidence drawing on global data has systematically contradicted that suggestion. Most recently, a large review published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity in December 2025, concluded that hormone therapy for menopause did not increase dementia risk .