General and medical factors associated with hormone replacement therapy among women attending menopause clinics in Italy

Progetto Menopausa Italia Study Group*

* The list of participants is indicated at the end of the paper

Correspondence to: Fabio Parazzini

Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri"
Via Eritrea, 62 – 20157 Milano Italy
Tel. +39.02.39014.1 Fax +39.02.33200231
E-mail: Parazzini@irfmn.mnegri.it

ABSTRACT

Objective: Objective of the study was to analyse medical and general factors associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use in women attending a network of Menopause Clinics in Italy.

Design: Between 1997 and 1999, we conducted a large cross sectional study on the characteristics of women around menopause attending a network of first level outpatients Menopause Clinics for general counselling about menopause or treatment of menopausal symptoms. Eligible for the study were all women consecutively observed during the study period at the participating centres. A total of 42464 women (mean age 54 years) entered the study. The characteristics of women who had at some time ever used HRT were compared with those of never users.

Results: Out of the 42464 women considered, 4909 (11.6%) reported ever HRT use. In comparison with pre-menopausal women, the odds ratio (OR) of ever HRT use was 2.2 and 4.0 respectively in women with natural or surgical menopause. In comparison with women reporting primary school education, the OR was 1.4 in women with secondary and university degree. Ever HRT use was less frequent in women reporting a history of diabetes (OR 0.7, in comparison with women with no history, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.5-0.9), cardiovascular diseases (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.7-0.8) and more frequent in women with a history of osteopenia/osteoporosis (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.5), but the finding was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The results of the study indicates that ever HRT use is more common in this population in women of higher education and less frequent in women with lower BMI and with a history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Key words: hormonal replacement therapy, use, determinants.