Awareness and experience of menopausal symptom and hormone therapy in korean postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate awareness and experience of menopausal symptom and hormone therapy in Korean postmenopausal women.


METHODS
A total of 570 postmenopausal women were accepted our survey. The women filled out the questionnaires composed of medical and surgical history, menopausal age and symptom, demand of treatment on menopausal symptom, and personal method for overcoming the symptom. Also, we make inquiries about experience of hormone therapy, concern about hormone therapy, improvement of menopausal symptom after therapy, adverse effect, and cause of cease the therapy.


RESULTS
According to the survey, 80% (456/570) of the women experienced menopausal symptom. When they felt the symptom at first, 47% (213/570) of women was 46-50 years old. The most common menopausal symptom was hot flushes (141/570). A number of Korean women regarded that menopause was a natural process of ageing (69%). Eighty two % of women thought to need to have treatment on menopausal symptom. However, only half (43%) visited doctor. The most concerned disease after menopause they had answered was osteoporosis (60%) but only 22% of women were taken regular check-up of bone mineral density. The common causes were unwilling to do treatment were concern about adverse effect (51%) and indefinite fear of cancer (32%). Moreover, many women got diverse information about menopause from the mass media than professional advice.


CONCLUSIONS
Only a minority of Korean postmenopausal women with menopausal symptoms had taken a hormone therapy. We should provide appropriate education and counsel to Korean peri-menopause women.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Hee Dong
HD
Chae
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Sun Young
SY
Choi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Eun Ji
EJ
Cho
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Yoo Mi
YM
Cho
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Womans University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sa Ra
SR
Lee
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soonchunhyang University, College of Meidicine, Seoul, Korea.
Eun Sil
ES
Lee
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hyoung Moo
HM
Park
Awareness; Experience; Hormone therapy; Korean postmenopausal women; Menopausal symptom