We will examine the condition of their arteries before, during and after therapy, and compare it to women on no therapy to see if the hormones cause or prevent changes leading to heart disease.

I think for people who were not convinced of the risk, this provides further evidence.

These new findings suggest the possibility that if a woman starts hormone therapy sooner rather than later, perhaps we will see some of the protective effects on the heart that natural estrogen provides - or at least it won't increase the risk of cardiovascular-related harm.