Compliance with 10 years oral hormonal replacement therapy

Objective: To study 10 years compliance with oral hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), Methods: One hundred and fifty-one early postmenopausal women were initially randomly allocated to three groups in a double blind, 2-year placebo controlled trial. Fifty women received continuous combined therapy, 50 were placed on sequential therapy. while the last 51 women were given placebo for 22 years and after that no therapy. After the trial. the women were followed in an open investigation for a total or 10 years. Results: One hundred and twenty-six women (83%) out of 151 came to a 10-year interview, 4% had died and the remaining did not want to participate. None of the women in the combined group had changed to other regimens (42% were still in treatment after 10 years). Twenty-four percent from the original sequential group were still in sequential therapy; another 24%. of the group had changed to other HRTs (mainly because the women disliked the monthly bleedings). Fifty-three percent of the women from the placebo group had not received any HRT, Eighteen percent were on HRT. Eighty-seven percent of the women who had taken combined therapy for 8 years were still being treated at the tenth years' visit. Conclusion: Long-term compliance was excellent for continuous combined therapy and better than for sequential after 10 years. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.