[Quality of life in users and non-users of hormone replacement therapy]

To compare the quality of life in postmenopausal women who were users and non-users of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

A cross-sectional study was conducted on postmenopausal women aged between 40 and 65 years, who had been menopausal for up to 15 years. Women considered HRT users were those who had undergone this type of treatment for at least six months. Non-users of HRT were those who had not received this type of treatment during the last six months. Two hundred and seven women were included in the study: 106 users and 101 non-users of HRT. Sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics were assessed. The Kupperman Menopausal Index was applied to rate the intensity of climacteric symptoms and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was applied to assess women's quality of life. For data analysis, a Student's t test, a chi-square analysis, a Fisher's exact test and a Mann-Whitney test were used.

The mean age of HRT users was 52.6 +/- 4.9 years and the mean age of non-users of HRT was 54.3 +/- 4.7 years (p=0.01). There was a statistically significant difference regarding marital status (p=0.04). HRT users reported a lower frequency of moderate and severe climacteric symptoms (p=0.001). Of the eight quality of life domains evaluated, only vitality scored below 50 (45) in both groups. There were no differences between groups regarding the SF-36 components.

Postmenopausal women who were users and non-users of HRT presented a good quality of life. There were no differences between users and non-users of hormone therapy.