Characteristics of women currently using hormone replacement therapy in rural areas of Styria, Austria

There are no clear-cut guidelines on "hormone replacement therapy". Each women should be individually counselled regarding her risks and then given "therapy". We studied a rural population in Styria that uses non-contraceptive hormones. Our analyses were based on data drawn from a cross-sectional health survey between 1995 and 1996. Our study sample comprised 499 women 40 to 65 years old; 97 of the women were using hormones (19.4%). According to the univariate analysis, women currently using hormones had a higher level of psychosomatic complaints, a higher frequency of health check-ups and visits to physicians, and reported a higher use of vitamin supplements than the non-users. The results are significant. Compared with other studies, the direction of the selection effect is inverse. Doctors attribute complaints to the perimenopausal status of the women and prescribe hormones in the hope of alleviating the problems. Medical interventions may interfere with possible alternative ways of coping with the menopause allowing for change in different aspects of a woman's life.