Hormone replacement therapy: a study of women's knowledge and attitudes

Hormone replacement therapy can successfully treat menopausal symptoms. A postal questionnaire was used to investigate the knowledge of and attitudes to hormone replacement therapy of an age-stratified, computer-generated, representative sample of 1500 women living in the Grampian region of Scotland. A response rate of 78% was achieved. Comparisons were made between women of differing age, educational background and their current or past experience of hormone replacement therapy. The questionnaire also assessed their knowledge of osteoporosis, including the possible beneficial role of hormone replacement therapy. The results showed that women had a poor knowledge of the potential risks and benefits of oestrogen, lack of knowledge being greatest in the less educated and older women. The majority of women agreed with the view that because the menopause is brought on by diminished hormone levels, it should be viewed as a medical condition and treated as such, and also that a woman who experiences distressing menopausal symptoms should take hormone replacement therapy. Despite this, relatively few postmenopausal women were currently taking hormone replacement therapy (9%) or had taken the treatment in the past (7%), although many had experienced menopausal symptoms for over six months. The most common reason for postmenopausal women never having taken hormone replacement therapy was that they had never considered the treatment (70%) and had not discussed it with a doctor (79%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)