Why do postmenopausal women discontinue hormone replacement therapy?

To study the prevalence and acceptance of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the Finnish population and to ascertain the factors leading to premature discontinuation of HRT.

A questionnaire survey was conducted among all women aged 50-60 selected from the age-sex register, 1065 women were identified and 884 (response rate 84%) agreed to participate.

111 women were premenopausal and 773 postmenopausal; 302 (39%) were current HRT users, 126 (16%) previous users and 345 (45%) non-users. Of the previous users 27% had used oestrogen for less than 6 months and 46% had ceased treatment within 1 year. The main reason for discontinuation was side-effects; 41% of the women had suffered from them. Fear of cancer (16%), recommendation of a physician (12%), inefficiency (4%), and advice of a friend (3%) were other causes of discontinuation. Of the current users, 20% had continuous side-effects from the treatment and 15% had been advised to discontinue the treatment. Eleven percent of current users and 11% of previous users reported not having received any information about HRT.

in this survey, more than half of postmenopausal women had used HRT at menopause. Every third of the women had discontinued the treatment, mainly because of side-effects but also because of fear of cancer and advice of physicians.