Objective: Nearly one-third of American women are postmenopausal and at risk for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood disorders, and vulvovaginal atrophy. Primary healthcare providers in addition to gynecologists need to be ready to address these concerns. One area of controversy has been the role of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in the treatment of symptoms. This study sought to determine how often women seek care for menopause, their satisfaction with care, and their use of MHT. Methods: An online survey was administered to 1,509 women age 40-89. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: 81% have experienced symptoms but only 50% of women have discussed menopause with a provider and 31% do not receive information about menopause from any sources. Among those who say they need treatment, only 15% have pursued but not received it. Of those who have discussed it with their provider, 25% with symptoms were not offered treatment and 11% said their provider was not sympathetic. However, 97% said that their provider was comfortable and 97% knowledgeable. Regarding treatment, 62% reported that providers discussed MHT, 36% reported that providers recommended it, but only 6% of women are using it. Conclusions: It is encouraging that the vast majority of women who have pursued treatment are satisfied with their care. However, a quarter of women who sought treatment were not offered treatment and half of the women surveyed had never been counselled on menopause. Steps should be taken to encourage provider-initiated discussion of menopause.
| Published in | Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Volume 7, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11 |
| Page(s) | 31-35 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Quality of Care, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Menopause Care
| [1] | Bureau UC. Age and Sex Composition in the United States: 2010. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2010/demo/age-and-sex/2010-age-sex-composition.html. Accessed September 7, 2018. |
| [2] | Singh B, Liu XD, Der-Martirosian C, et al. Menopausal issues: A national probability sample of US women. Altern Ther Health Med. 2007; 13 (3): 24-29. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17515021. Accessed May 19, 2018. |
| [3] | Simon JA, Kokot-Kierepa M, Goldstein J, Nappi RE. Vaginal health in the United States. Menopause. 2013; 20 (10): 1043-1048. doi: 10.1097/GME.0b013e318287342d. |
| [4] | Kingsberg SA, Wysocki S, Magnus L, Krychman ML. Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy in Postmenopausal Women: Findings from the REVIVE (REal Women’s VIews of Treatment Options for Menopausal Vaginal ChangEs) Survey. J Sex Med. 2013; 10 (7): 1790-1799. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12190. |
| [5] | Kingsberg SA, Krychman M, Graham S, Bernick B, Mirkin S. The Women’s EMPOWER Survey: Identifying Women’s Perceptions on Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy and Its Treatment. J Sex Med. 2017; 14 (3): 413-424. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.01.010. |
| [6] | Cumming GP, Currie HD, Moncur R, Lee AJ. Web-based survey on the effect of menopause on women’s libido in a computer-literate population. Menopause Int. 2009; 15 (1): 8-12. doi: 10.1258/mi.2009.009001. |
| [7] | Manson JE, Chlebowski RT, Stefanick ML, et al. Menopausal hormone therapy and health outcomes during the intervention and extended poststopping phases of the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trials. JAMA. 2013; 310 (13): 1353-1368. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.278040. |
| [8] | Anderson GL, Limacher M, Assaf AR, et al. Effects of conjugated equine estrogen in postmenopausal women with hysterectomy: the Women’s Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2004; 291 (14): 1701-1712. doi: 10.1001/jama.291.14.1701. |
| [9] | Writing Group for the Women’s Health Initiative Investigators WG for the WHI. Risks and Benefits of Estrogen Plus Progestin in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: Principal Results From the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA J Am Med Assoc. 2002; 288 (3): 321-333. doi: 10.1001/jama.288.3.321. |
| [10] | Sprague BL, Trentham-Dietz A, Cronin KA. A sustained decline in postmenopausal hormone use: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2010. Obstet Gynecol. 2012; 120 (3): 595-603. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e318265df42. |
| [11] | Williams RE, Kalilani L, DiBenedetti DB, Zhou X, Fehnel SE, Clark R V. Healthcare seeking and treatment for menopausal symptoms in the United States. Maturitas. 2007; 58 (4): 348-358. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2007.09.006. |
| [12] | Rossouw JE, Prentice RL, Manson JE, et al. Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease by Age and Years Since Menopause. JAMA. 2007; 297 (13): 1465-1477. doi: 10.1001/jama.297.13.1465. |
| [13] | Stuenkel CA, Davis SR, Gompel A, et al. Treatment of Symptoms of the Menopause: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015; 100 (11): 3975-4011. doi: 10.1210/jc.2015-2236. |
| [14] | Salpeter SR, Walsh JME, Greyber E, Salpeter EE. Brief report: Coronary heart disease events associated with hormone therapy in younger and older women. A meta-analysis. J Gen Intern Med. 2006; 21 (4): 363-366. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00389.x. |
| [15] | Boardman HMP, Hartley L, Eisinga A, et al. Hormone therapy for preventing cardiovascular disease in post-menopausal women. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2015; (3): CD002229. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002229.pub4. |
| [16] | Manson JE, Ames JM, Shapiro M, et al. Algorithm and mobile app for menopausal symptom management and hormonal/non-hormonal therapy decision making. Menopause. 2015; 22 (3): 247-253. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000373. |
| [17] | Christianson MS, Ducie JA, Altman K, Khafagy AM, Shen W. Menopause education. Menopause. 2013; 20 (11): 1120-1125. doi: 10.1097/GME.0b013e31828ced7f. |
| [18] | Christianson MS, Washington CI, Stewart KI, Shen W. Effectiveness of a 2-year menopause medicine curriculum for obstetrics and gynecology residents. Menopause. 2016; 23 (3): 275-279. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000531. |
APA Style
Sandy Rose Truong, Jennifer Wolff, Teresa Keenan, Victoria Gelfeld, G. Oscar Anderson, et al. (2019). A Survey of Menopause Care Among US Women. Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 7(2), 31-35. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11
ACS Style
Sandy Rose Truong; Jennifer Wolff; Teresa Keenan; Victoria Gelfeld; G. Oscar Anderson, et al. A Survey of Menopause Care Among US Women. J. Gynecol. Obstet. 2019, 7(2), 31-35. doi: 10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11
AMA Style
Sandy Rose Truong, Jennifer Wolff, Teresa Keenan, Victoria Gelfeld, G. Oscar Anderson, et al. A Survey of Menopause Care Among US Women. J Gynecol Obstet. 2019;7(2):31-35. doi: 10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11,
author = {Sandy Rose Truong and Jennifer Wolff and Teresa Keenan and Victoria Gelfeld and G. Oscar Anderson and Patricia David and Wen Shen},
title = {A Survey of Menopause Care Among US Women},
journal = {Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics},
volume = {7},
number = {2},
pages = {31-35},
doi = {10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jgo.20190702.11},
abstract = {Objective: Nearly one-third of American women are postmenopausal and at risk for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood disorders, and vulvovaginal atrophy. Primary healthcare providers in addition to gynecologists need to be ready to address these concerns. One area of controversy has been the role of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in the treatment of symptoms. This study sought to determine how often women seek care for menopause, their satisfaction with care, and their use of MHT. Methods: An online survey was administered to 1,509 women age 40-89. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: 81% have experienced symptoms but only 50% of women have discussed menopause with a provider and 31% do not receive information about menopause from any sources. Among those who say they need treatment, only 15% have pursued but not received it. Of those who have discussed it with their provider, 25% with symptoms were not offered treatment and 11% said their provider was not sympathetic. However, 97% said that their provider was comfortable and 97% knowledgeable. Regarding treatment, 62% reported that providers discussed MHT, 36% reported that providers recommended it, but only 6% of women are using it. Conclusions: It is encouraging that the vast majority of women who have pursued treatment are satisfied with their care. However, a quarter of women who sought treatment were not offered treatment and half of the women surveyed had never been counselled on menopause. Steps should be taken to encourage provider-initiated discussion of menopause.},
year = {2019}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - A Survey of Menopause Care Among US Women AU - Sandy Rose Truong AU - Jennifer Wolff AU - Teresa Keenan AU - Victoria Gelfeld AU - G. Oscar Anderson AU - Patricia David AU - Wen Shen Y1 - 2019/04/18 PY - 2019 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11 DO - 10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11 T2 - Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics JF - Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics JO - Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics SP - 31 EP - 35 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2376-7820 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20190702.11 AB - Objective: Nearly one-third of American women are postmenopausal and at risk for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood disorders, and vulvovaginal atrophy. Primary healthcare providers in addition to gynecologists need to be ready to address these concerns. One area of controversy has been the role of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in the treatment of symptoms. This study sought to determine how often women seek care for menopause, their satisfaction with care, and their use of MHT. Methods: An online survey was administered to 1,509 women age 40-89. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: 81% have experienced symptoms but only 50% of women have discussed menopause with a provider and 31% do not receive information about menopause from any sources. Among those who say they need treatment, only 15% have pursued but not received it. Of those who have discussed it with their provider, 25% with symptoms were not offered treatment and 11% said their provider was not sympathetic. However, 97% said that their provider was comfortable and 97% knowledgeable. Regarding treatment, 62% reported that providers discussed MHT, 36% reported that providers recommended it, but only 6% of women are using it. Conclusions: It is encouraging that the vast majority of women who have pursued treatment are satisfied with their care. However, a quarter of women who sought treatment were not offered treatment and half of the women surveyed had never been counselled on menopause. Steps should be taken to encourage provider-initiated discussion of menopause. VL - 7 IS - 2 ER -
Information
Email: