Menopause and hormone using experiences of Chinese women in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to explore the menopause experiences of Chinese women in Taiwan. Six hundred and seventy-three women, aged 40 to 60 years, in the Taipei metropolitan area were chosen as the sample. These women were categorized into four groups in terms of their menopausal experiences: surgical menopause, natural menopause, perimenopause, and premenopause. The results show that the three most frequently reported discomforts that women experienced during menopause were backache/lumbago, amentia, and tiredness. The frequency of reported discomforts was low compared with frequencies reported in Western countries. The surgical group reported higher rates of symptoms than others. In addition, the hormone use rate was 13.5% for the natural menopause group, 34.4% for the surgical menopause group, 12% for the perimenopause group, and 1.9% for the premenopausal group. Higher hormone use rates were inconsistent with the general negative attitudes toward hormone use in Chinese society. Among those 59 women ever using hormones, only one third reported improvement in their symptoms. Women in Taiwan have an inadequate knowledge of menopause. Further health care education and research are needed.