D. De Aloysio et al., General and medical factors associated with hormone replacement therapy among women attending menopause clinics in Italy, MENOPAUSE, 8(4), 2001, pp. 290-295
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Reproductive Medicine
Journal title
MENOPAUSE-THE JOURNAL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MENOPAUSE SOCIETY
Objective: The objective of the study was to analyze medical and general fa
ctors associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use in women attend
ing a network of menopause clinics in Italy.
Design: Between 1997 and 1999, we conducted a large cross-sectional study o
n the characteristics of women around menopause attending a network of firs
t level outpatient menopause clinics for general counseling about menopause
or treatment of menopausal symptoms. All women consecutively observed duri
ng the study period at the participating centers were eligible for the stud
y. A total of 42,464 women (mean age 54 years) entered the study. The chara
cteristics of women who had at some time used HRT were compared with those
of women who were never users.
Results: Of the 42,464 women considered, 4,909 ( 11.6%) reported having use
d HRT at some time. In comparison with premenopausal women, the odds ratio
(OR) of HRT use was 2.1 and 4.0, respectively, in women with natural and su
rgical menopause; the frequency of use tends to be lower in women with late
r age at menopause. In comparison with women reporting primary school educa
tion, the OR was 1.4 in women with a secondary or university degree. In com
parison with nulliparity, the OR of HRT use was 0.7 (95% confidence interva
l [CI] 0.6-0.7) in women with two or more births. HRT use was less frequent
in women reporting a history of diabetes (OR 0.7, in comparison with women
with no history, 95% CI 0.5-0.9) and cardiovascular diseases (OR 0.8, 95%
CI 0.7-0.8) and more frequent in women with a history of osteopenia/osteopo
rosis (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.5), but the latter finding was not statisticall
y significant.
Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that HRT use is more common i
n this population in women of higher education with early age at menopause
and with a history of osteoporosis/osteopenia and less frequent in women wi
th a history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.