Determinants of Hormone Replacement Therapy Knowledge and Current Hormone Replacement Therapy Use.

Abstract

Background: The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat menopausal symptoms has declined since the early 2000s, and little is known about the contemporary determinants of use in the United States. We aim to understand women's knowledge of HRT as a treatment of menopausal symptoms and to assess the factors associated with HRT use. Materials and Methods: Weighted multivariate logistic regression models evaluated the correlates of high HRT knowledge and current HRT use among a sample of 2,548 women aged ≥45 years who participated in an online survey between August 2019 and May 2020. Results: In total, 82% of the women surveyed reported experiencing one or more menopausal symptoms, yet only 10.5% reported using HRT. Only 33% reported high HRT knowledge. The odds of reporting high HRT knowledge increased with increasing age. Racial, ethnic minority women were less likely to report high HRT knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.5-0.9). Hispanic and non-Hispanic women of other racial and ethnic groups were less likely to use HRT compared with non-Hispanic White women (AOR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.1-0.6) (AOR = 0.4; CI = 0.2-0.9), respectively. Women experiencing irregular periods were less likely to report current HRT use (AOR = 0.1, 95% CI = 0.4-0.7). Compared with past users, never users appeared to be more risk averse, and reported concern over HRT risks and side effects as reasons for nonuse. Conclusions: Many factors impact women's perceived HRT knowledge level and to a lesser extent HRT use. Future research should better define the most important factors influencing decisions to use HRT for symptom relief.