Declining socioeconomic differences in the use of menopausal and postmenopausal hormone therapy in Finland

Sales figures for the use of menopausal and postmenopausal hormone therapy in Finland show a rapid increase during the 1980s continued into the first half of the 1990s. Hormone therapy use became very common in Finland compared to many other Western countries. The aim of our study was to investigate the sociodemographic distribution of hormone therapy among Finnish women aged 45-64 years.

The study is based on population-based surveys conducted in 1989 and 1996 (response rates 87% and 78%).

Between 1989 and 1996 the current use of hormone therapy increased from 22% to 27%; in 1989 it was most common in the age group 50-54 years, but in 1996 among 55-59-year-olds. In 1989 it was significantly more common among women with longer education than other women in every age group, but in 1996 this difference was significant only in those 55 years and older. In 1989 the use was more common in the capital area than elsewhere and this difference decreased but remained significant in 1996.

Our results suggest that hormone therapy has become a routine treatment during the menopause in all educational groups and throughout the country. The lack of socioeconomic differences indicates that among women under 55 year of age the saturation point in short-term hormone use was reached in 1996. However, the persistence of socioeconomic differences among older women suggests that the use of long-term postmenopausal hormone therapy will continue to increase for some time.