Low rates of hormone replacement in visits to United States primary care physicians

Our objective was to determine national rates and predictors of hormone replacement therapy. We analyzed a nationally representative sample of 6341 office visits by women aged greater than or equal to 40 years to primary care physicians in the 1993 and 1994 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys. Independent predictors of estrogen use were determined by logistic regression. Time trends from 1989 through 1994 also were evaluated. Hormone replacement therapy was documented in 4.7% of visits in 1989 to 1990 and 8.0% in 1993 to 1994. In 1993 to 1994 women with menopausal symptoms were six times more likely to have hormone replacement reported. In the absence of symptoms, obstetrician-gynecologists were nearly four times as likely to report hormone replacement therapy. Age 50 to 59 years, white race, osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia, and residence in the West and in nonmetropolitan areas also independently predicted hormone replacement. Low rates of estrogen therapy by non-obstetrician-gynecologists and substantial practice variations suggest missed opportunities for hormone replacement therapy.