title: Midlife women making hormone therapy decisions.
abstract: This study focuses on midlife women aged 40-65 years who were in transition to menopause, were menopausal or had a hysterectomy, to examine and better understand hormone therapy (HT) choices women make. Among the nationally representative sample of women in the Commonwealth Fund 1998 Survey of Women's Health (n = 884), 39% of the menopausal women reported current HT use. The two primary reasons for initiating HT are following a doctor's recommendation and seeking relief of menopausal symptoms. Age, education, race, hysterectomy status, having health insurance, use of calcium supplements and comfort in communicating with a doctor are important factors associated with HT use. This study underscores the importance of physicians and other health professionals providing accurate HT information to assist women in making HT decisions.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacLaren
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Woods
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health