Utilisation of hormone replacement therapy by women doctors

BMJ 1995;311:1399-1401 (25 November)

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Utilisation of hormone replacement therapy by women doctors

A J Isaacs, visiting research fellow,^a A R Britton, research assistant,^a Klim McPherson, professor of public health epidemiology ^a

^a Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT

Correspondence to: Professor McPherson.

Abstract

Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence and duration of useof hormone replacement therapy by menopausal women doctors.
Design: Postal questionnaire.
Setting: General practices in the United Kingdom.
Subjects: Randomised stratified sample of women doctors whoobtained full registration between 1952 and 1976, taken fromthe current principal list of the Medical Register.
Main outcome measures: Prevalence and duration of use of hormonereplacement therapy; menopausal status.
Results: Overall, 45.7% (436/954) of women doctors aged between45 and 65 years had ever used hormone replacement therapy. Whenthe results from women still menstruating regularly were excluded,55.2% (428) were ever users and 41.2% (319) current users. Thecumulative probability of remaining on hormone replacement therapywas 0.707 at five years and 0.576 at 10 years.
Conclusions: Women doctors have a higher prevalence of use ofhormone replacement therapy than has been reported for otherwomen in the United Kingdom, and most users seem to be takinghormone replacement therapy for more than five years. The resultsmay become generalisable to the wider population as informationon the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy isdisseminated.

Key messages

Key messages
Over half of women starting hormone replacement therapy may be expected to continue the treatment for 10 years or more
A considerable number of women will be unlikely to take up hormone replacement therapy in the absence of full evaluation of benefit and risk
Full evaluation will require randomised controlled trials

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