Hormonal replacement therapy becomes frequently used in peri- and postmenopausal women. It causally affects the climacteric syndrome, positively stimulates psychics, improves quality of the skin, decreases dryness of mucous membranes and frequency of recurrent inflammations of eyes and vagina. The positive influence on the bone metabolism and therefore on the incidence of osteoporosis highly dominates among its long-term effects. Long lasting hormonal replacement reduces also the incidence of Alzheimer disease, colorectal carcinoma and it has particularly favourable effect on the cardiovascular system. Estrogens positive affect the lipid spectrum, however, more than 50 % of their beneficial influence comes from their direct vasodilatory effect. Estrogene replacement becomes in many countries indicated for the primary prevention of the ischemic heart disease. The question of its application for the secondary prevention remains still open.

        Key words: estrogens, progestins, arteriosclerosis, ischemic heart disease.