Hormone replacement therapy--a survey of perimenopausal women in a community setting

This study investigated the knowledge, views and experience of perimenopausal women in relation to hormone replacement therapy at the menopause. It was carried out in a semi-rural practice, using a postal questionnaire to which the response rate was 85%. The majority of women (90%) had heard of hormone replacement therapy, mainly from the media. However, only a quarter of the women had approached their general practitioner about the therapy, principally because they were experiencing definite symptoms. The majority of women believed hormone replacement therapy could benefit hot flushes and osteoporosis but only about 10% felt it could reduce the risk of a stroke or myocardial infarction. Over half of the women expressed one or more concerns about the therapy and the dominant anxiety was about cancer. These findings form the basis for improved care in terms of identifying needs and providing more appropriate information.