Menopausal hormone therapy use among active duty service women

Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) has been shown to be effective in alleviating symptoms of menopause. While previous literature has described the frequency of HT use for the relief of menopausal symptoms in both the general and veteran female populations, there is currently no literature describing this frequency within the female active duty population. This study aims to address this gap in knowledge by conducting a retrospective cross-sectional study of HT receipt in active duty service women (ADSW) ages 45 to 64 during fiscal years (FYs) 2018 to 2022.

We used the Military Health System (MHS) Data Repository (MDR) to conduct a retrospective study of ADSW ages 45 to 64 in the US Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps during FY 2018 to 2022. Study analyses included descriptive statistics on participant demographics and HT type. Logistic regressions were performed to assess for significant associations between participant demographics and receipt of HT.

We identified a total of 13,629 women aged 45 to 64 on active duty service in the US Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps during FY 2018 to 2022, of whom 1,290 (9.5%) received HT. Significantly lower odds for receipt of HT was observed among ADSW ages 45 to 49, 60 to 64, of Asian/Pacific Islander race, and all ranks below Senior Officer. No significant associations were observed by Service branch.

The prevalence of HT use among ADSW ages 45 to 65 is lower than HT use among the US veteran population age 45 and older but higher than among the US general population age 45 and older.