Not too long ago, millions of postmenopausal women were taking estrogen as part of hormone therapy to protect their hearts, prevent cancer, and keep their brains sharp.

Hormone therapy may place older women at a higher risk of heart attack, brain shrinkage and breast cancer.

But two new studies in the journal Neurology show that not only does hormone replacement therapy increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer in women over the age of 65, but it also shrinks their brains.

Two studies, which are offshoots of the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) found an increased risk of dementia in women on hormone therapy. WHIMS is a parallel study to the Women’s Health Initiative, the landmark clinical trial, which in 2002 found that hormone therapy was hurting some women more than it helped them.

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