title: Relation between cigarette smoking and use of hormonal replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms.
abstract: The aim of this study was to characterise new users of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) for the relief of menopausal symptoms and to compare these women with never-users of HRT; 402 new users and 804 never-users were studied. Hot flushes were the most common symptom in both users and non-users and were the most frequent reason for prescribing HRT. The prevalence of menopausal symptoms in non-users of HRT was high although substantially lower than that in users. HRT users were more likely to be current cigarette smokers than were never-users. There was also, within smokers, a significant relation between the number of cigarettes smoked and the likelihood of using HRT. This relation between HRT use and smoking could result from an anti-oestrogen effect of smoking, intensifying menopausal symptoms. Of potential clinical relevance is the suggestion that a proportion of women using HRT may be doing so in order to alleviate smoking-induced symptoms. Users of HRT were also more likely to have used oral contraceptives than were never-users; this relation was probably behavioural.
authors: MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Greenberg
authors: S G
authors: SG
authors: Thompson
authors: T W
authors: TW
authors: Meade
mesh_terms: D002979:Climacteric; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D006728:Hormones