An assessment of menopausal women's attitudes to hormone replacement therapy and complementary and alternative medications

摘要

Introduction: Women with hormone-dependent cancers now have longer life expectancies because of more advanced treatments. This arises at the expense of severe menopausal symptoms which are difficult to manage as the increased risk of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and complementary and alternative medications (CAMs) must be balanced against their efficacies. Our previous study highlighted that women with a history of non-hormone-dependent cancers were reluctant to take HRT due to perceived risks. Therefore, we endeavoured to investigate women's attitudes to the different menopausal therapies.Methods: From I I January 2013 till April 2013, 200 questionnaires were distributed to consented patients in the gynaecology, oncology and menopause clinics, before consultation in Guy's Hospital, with 164 returned. Each questionnaire assessed patients' knowledge regarding the use and associated risks of HRT and CAMs. Patients also indicated whether they had a personal and/or family history of cancer. Data analysis was carried out across four groups—patients with both a personal and family history of cancer (32); patients with only a family history of cancer (47); patients with only a personal history of cancer (23) and patients with neither a personal nor family history of cancer (62).