When is the best time in a woman's reproductive history to start hormone therapy? How does estrogen therapy affect a woman's cognition and mood? What is the most beneficial form of estrogen?

A special report in the April 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine brings initial analysis of data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) registries, showing that the incidence of breast cancer in women in the US fell by 6.7% in 2003, and stayed at the same level in 2004.

Secondary analyses of findings from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) suggest that women who begin hormone therapy within 10 years of menopause may have less risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) due to hormone therapy than women farther from menopause. Overall, hormone therapy did not reduce the risk of CHD.