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The study of 124 post-menopausal women found the therapy was linked to hearing loss in both the peripheral and central auditory systems which resulted in an impaired ability to distinguish speech from background noise. 

However, no such link was noted in women taking oestrogen-only HRT. 

The retrospective study included women aged between 60 and 86 years. 

Of these, 32 had taken combined HRT, 30 had taken oestrogen-only HRT and 62 no HRT at all. The women in the HRT groups had taken it for between five and 35 years. 

Hearing tests showed that pure-tone threshold in both ears was poorer in those taking combined HRT than in either of the other two groups, especially in low- and middle-frequencies. 

Greater damage to the outer-hair cell system was also found in those taking combined HRT. 

In addition, the hearing-in-noise test revealed that women taking combined HRT were less able to recognise speech in background noise than women taking no HRT or oestrogen only. 

The researchers suggested that combined HRT may accelerate the deterioration of auditory processing by acting on hearing pathways mediated by the neurotransmitter gaba-aminobutyric acid. 

They called for improved testing of HRT to ensure the therapy does not accelerate hearing loss. 

But Dr David Sturdee, a consultant gynaecologist at Solihull Hospital in the West Midlands, said that these findings would not be applicable to most women taking HRT. 

‘We don’t give HRT to old women anyway. We give it to ease menopausal symptoms,’ he said. 

Dr Sturdee added that combined HRT would remain the preferred treatment for most menopausal women.