Characteristics of Women Who Continue Using Hormone Replacement Therapy

Women attending public seminars on the topic of menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were asked to complete questionnaires regarding their use of HRT. Of the 139 women who had used HRT, 110 were current users with an average age of 53.9 years (range 35–72) and an average duration of use of 5.4 years (28% < 1 year). Twenty-nine women with an average age of 58.6 years (range 46–80) had previously used HRT and discontinued it. Their average duration of use was 5.1 years (41% < 1 year). Forty-five percent of past users reported they felt better not using HRT. The remainder reported concerns about safety (52%), bloating and weight gain (40%), problems with bleeding (28%), and breast concerns (34%) including one breast cancer. Continued use of HRT was strongly associated with feeling better on HRT. Only 34% of past users felt better on HRT whereas 74% of current users felt better on HRT. The 5% of current users who felt worse on HRT were motivated to continue for reasons of vaginal dryness, osteoporosis, hot flushes, and cardiovascular protection. Hysterectomy was associated with initiation of HRT but was not associated with continued use of HRT. Continued use of HRT was not associated with difficulty of menopause, but it was associated with age of menopause. We conclude that women who have had a hysterectomy are more apt to initiate HRT and that those who feel better on HRT are most apt to continue using it.