Physicians' views on hormone therapy around and after menopause

Estrogens and progestins are commonly and increasingly used during and after menopause. We studied Finnish physicians' views of this hormone therapy based on their specialty. A questionnaire was sent to a stratified random sample of gynecologists, internists, general practitioners and nonspecialists (n = 500; response rate 74%). Reported prescription habits and opinions concerning benefits and harms of hormones were asked and compared to current literature. Combined therapy was much more popular than was estrogen alone. One fourth of the physicians said hormones should be preventively given to all or to all those at risk for osteoporosis. Long therapies were accepted by many and for our patient cases hormones were recommended much more commonly than were other medical therapies. Most considered prevention of osteoporosis to be a benefit of combined therapy, but opinions of other benefits and harms varied. Gynecologists had the most favourable opinions and most of them considered hormone therapy very useful; the other physicians' opinions were characterized by uncertainties about hormone therapy and its long term effects.