Hormone therapy use among postmenopausal French women before the publication of the Women's Health Initiative study: duration of use and factors associated with discontinuation.
OBJECTIVE
Compliance with recent recommendations concerning hormone therapy (HT) requires that we understand the reasons why women receiving HT continue or stop their treatment. Our aim was to estimate the duration of HT use and analyze factors associated with its discontinuation during the period before the publication of articles challenging the safety of HT.


METHODS
With data from 3 mail questionnaires--at inclusion (in 1990), 3 years, and 6 years--we estimated the cumulative treatment continuation rate by the actuarial method and used the Cox model to analyze the factors associated with discontinuation.


METHODS
French women participating in the GAZEL cohort of employees of the French national power and electricity company (Electricité de France-Gaz de France).


METHODS
One thousand eighty-three postmenopausal women who were ever-HT users.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Discontinuation of HT.


RESULTS
A total of 91.6% of women consulted gynecologists, and 88% continued treatment 5 years after they had begun it. Those reporting hot flashes as a reason for taking HT and those younger than 45 years old at menopause were less likely to stop HT, as were women reporting alcohol use.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrate the importance of providing information to physicians, primarily gynecologists, to ensure appropriate treatment of symptoms for menopausal women, especially those younger than 45 years old, while bearing their long-term health in mind.
Ringa
Virginie
V
Inserm U 149, Villejuif, France. ringa@vjf.inserm.fr
Varnoux
Noëlle
N
Piault
Stéphanie
S
Bréart
Gérard
G
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016387:Women's Health