Women's views of the climacteric at the time of low menopausal hormone use, Estonia 1998.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined women's opinions about the climacteric and hormone therapy (HT) after menopause and compared women's and physicians' opinions in a country of low-HT use.


METHODS
In 1998, a postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2000 Estonian 45-64-year-old women; 69% (n=1312) responded. In 1999, a postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 500 Estonian gynaecologists and general practitioners; 68% (n=342) responded.


RESULTS
Mean age at menopause was 49.8 years (S.D. 4.0), and there was no difference by socioeconomic classes or by age in self-rated health. Ten percent of women reported having used HT, with 3% currently using it. Most women reported some symptoms, with vasomotor symptoms more frequently reported by 50-54 years old; women most often reported tiredness (48%). Half of the women but under a fifth of physicians considered the climacteric a normal phase of life. Women's awareness about HT was low and about half had no opinion on its health effects. Half of the women had visited a gynaecologist, older women less so. Women with contacts with health care were more aware of HT.


CONCLUSIONS
Women reported symptoms by age-group as similarly found in high-HT use countries and it verifies that many symptoms experienced were not due to menopause. As in other low-HT use countries, women were unfamiliar with HT and their attitudes were traditional, although physicians' attitudes were more positive. Estonian women seemed to have escaped the period of the preventive use of HT.
Hovi
Sirpa-Liisa
SL
National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, STAKES, Health and Social Services, FI-00530 Helsinki, Finland. sirpa.hovi@stakes.fi
Veerus
Piret
P
Karro
Helle
H
Topo
Päivi
P
Hemminki
Elina
E
D002979:Climacteric / Q000523:psychology*; D004957:Estonia; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D017698:Postmenopause; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires