Quality of life and hormone therapy in women before and after menopause

To study how women evaluate their quality of life (QoL) in relation to age, menopause and hormone therapy (HT).

An anonymous postal questionnaire comprising the Gothenburg QoL Instrument and items concerning menopause, symptoms, diseases, drugs and smoking.

A primary care district in southern Sweden.

All women aged 45, 50, 55 and 60 in 1995 (n = 126), 1996 (n = 130), 1997 (n = 134) and 1998 (n = 145).

QoL (global, social, physical/mental well-being) and number of symptoms (psychological, physical) reported during the past 3 months.

The older women rated their QoL, especially social well-being (p < 0.001), higher and reported a lower number of symptoms, particularly psychological symptoms (p = 0.02), than the younger women did. Pre- and post-menopausal women in the various age groups did not differ on the main outcome measures. A history of HT and use of hormonal contraceptives tended to be associated with lower well-being and a greater number of symptoms, an association found in women 55 years of age to be highly significant (p < 0.01-0.001) for all the main outcome measures.

The effects of menopause on QoL seemed generally to be of minor importance. QoL in women was lower in those with a history of HT than in those with no such experience.