Postmenopausal hormone therapy and quality of life

Abstract

Objective To evaluate whether hormonal therapy (HT) had any significant effect on quality of life (QoL) in a selected group of postmenopausal women. Methods The study was conducted in a specialist private practice in Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa, over an 18-month period ending in July 2003. A questionnaire using the Utian Quality of Life (UQoL) scale was posted to all women with established postmenopausal status, seen over this period. 541 questionnaires were posted, 421 returned and 398 could be used. Women gave written informed consent. Results The average age of the women was 60 years. 313 women (78.6%) were using hormone therapy (HT) while 275 women (69.1%) reported concomitant medical problems. HT users had significantly higher scores in three of the four QoL domains, namely, occupational ( p = 0.046), emotional ( p = 0.03), and sexual ( p = 0.009). There was no significant difference in the health domain ( p = 0.2). Conclusion This study found that post-menopausal South African women experienced that HT had a positive effect on global quality of life.