Hormone replacement therapy: a survey of Irish general practitioners

We report findings of a cross-sectional postal survey of current prescribing practices of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by Irish General Practitioners from a random sample of 600 Irish College of General Practitioners members. Median estimated prescribing rate of HRT was 17.5% (interquartile range 10 to 30%). The majority of General Practitioners would prescribe for the prevention of osteoporosis but there was some reluctance to prescribe solely for the prevention of CVD. Common cardiovascular conditions were regarded as contraindications to HRT by nearly one-third of GPs. Female GPs were more likely than males to request mammography (p < 0.002), to consider a first degree relative with breast cancer a contraindication (p < 0.01) and less likely to prescribe HRT for longer than 10 years (p < 0.0001), because of breast cancer risk. 78% of GPs would offer HRT to all eligible women. We conclude the estimated prescribing rate is comparable to rates in other developed countries.