Why do postmenopausal women discontinue hormone replacement therapy?

Objectives: To study the prevalence and acceptance of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the Finnish population and to ascertain the factors leading to premature discontinuation of HRT. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among all women aged 50-60 selected from the age-sex register, 1065 women were identified and 884 (response rate 84%) agreed to participate. Results: 111 women were premenopausal and 773 postmenopausal; 302 (39%) were current HRT users, 126 (16%) previous users and 345 (45%) non-users. Of the previous users 27% had used oestrogen for less than 6 months and 46% had ceased treatment within 1 year. The main reason for discontinuation was side-effects; 41% of the women had suffered from them. Fear of cancer (16%), recommendation of a physician (12%), inefficiency (4%), and advice of a friend (3%) were other causes of discontinuation. Of the current users, 20% had continuous side-effects from the treatment and 15% had been advised to discontinue the treatment. Eleven percent of current users and 11% of previous users reported not having received any information about HRT. Conclusions: in this survey, more than half of postmenopausal women had used HRT at menopause. Every third of the women had discontinued the treatment, mainly because of side-effects but also because of fear of cancer and advice of physicians. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.