Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a safe and effective treatment against the symptoms of menopause, new research from Monash University has found.

The new study examined the cognitive and physiological effects of HRT on women aged between 49 and 55, concluding that it is an effective method of treating symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats, blood pressure and sexual function problems when compared to those treated with a placebo.

Professor Susan Davis, Director of the Women's Health Research Program in the Monash UniversitySchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said there had long been debate about the safety of hormone replacement therapies and the potential adverse effects on cognitive function in women.

“These findings are reassuring for women,” Professor Davis said.

“We report, for the first time, that drospirenone combined with estradiol has no overall effect on the cognitive performance of postmenopausal women examined over a 26-week period.