Are clinics not affiliated with a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner more likely to offer guideline-nonconcordant treatment compared to clinics affiliated with a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner?

Abstract

To identify clinics in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania that advertise menopause treatment on their website and evaluate whether clinics not affiliated with a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) are more likely to offer guideline-nonconcordant treatment compared to clinics affiliated with an MSCP. We performed an Internet search to identify clinics advertising on their website menopause treatment in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. We checked clinic personnel against The Menopause Society directory of practitioners to determine if the clinic was affiliated with an MSCP. We identified 174 clinics (41% in OH, 28% in PA, and 31% in MI). Thirteen percent of clinics were affiliated with an MSCP. Clinics with an MSCP are significantly less likely to advertise hormone testing (primary outcome; odds ratio [OR], 0.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.39), compounded hormone therapy (OR, 0.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.001-0.41), and bioidentical hormone therapy (OR, 0.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.001-0.26), compared to clinics without an MSCP-affiliated clinics that are also less likely to advertise that hormone therapy will help maintain youth or help with weight loss. Our pilot study has shown that in the states of Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, clinics with an MSCP were more likely to advertise on their website an adherence to The Menopause Society's guidelines and not advertise for compounded or bioidentical hormones, recommend hormone testing, or advertise hormones for a youthful appearance or weight loss.