Health information seeking in context: how women make decisions regarding hormone replacement therapy

This multimethod study explored women's information seeking behaviour and decision making regarding menopause, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) during menopause. This research was underway during the mass media release of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) estrogen-progestin trial results, allowing an examination of the impact of this news on women's decisions. There were two studies: first, 20 women who currently were or previously had used HRT were interviewed about their experiences with menopause and HRT-related information seeking and decision making. Following this, 285 demographically representative Canadian women aged 45-65 who were current or former HRT users completed a questionnaire. Results indicate that women's information behaviour differed according to which decision they were making (starting versus stopping HRT, considering CAM), as did the sources they consulted. In general, there has been a paucity of good information to help women who are deciding to stop HRT. The types and sources of CAM information often are found to be less than credible and helpful. When information is lacking, women rely on informal sources, and on their own judgement, to make decisions. The results are discussed in the context of information behaviour and help-seeking theory.