Personal use of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy by women physicians in the United States.
BACKGROUND
Women physicians' use of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
To study use of HRT by women physicians in the United States.


METHODS
Stratified random-sample mail survey.


METHODS
United States Participants: 1466 postmenopausal women U.S. physicians in the Women Physicians' health study.


METHODS
Self-reported personal use of HRT and information on demographic, professional, and behavioral characteristics and medical history.


RESULTS
Overall, 47.4% of participants currently use HRT; the prevalence of use is 59.8% in women 40 to 49 years of age, 49.4% in women 50 to 59 years of age, and 36.4% in women 60 to 70 years of age (P < 0.001). In an adjusted logistic regression model, current users were significantly more likely to be gynecologists, to be younger, to be white, to be sexually active, to be previous users of oral contraceptives, to live in Pacific or Mountain states, to have had a hysterectomy, and to have no personal or family history of breast cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Women physicians have a higher rate of HRT use than that reported in cross-sectional U.S. surveys. This may presage greater use of HRT for U.S. women in the future.
McNagny
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Division of General Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Wenger
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Frank
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008511:Medicine; D008875:Middle Aged; D010822:Physicians, Women; D017698:Postmenopause; D013038:Specialization; D014481:United States