Emirati Women’s Knowledge about the Menopause and Menopausal Hormone Therapy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of Emirati women aged 30–64 about menopause, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), and their associated health risks, and additionally, to determine the relationships between Emirati women’s knowledge about menopause and their sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted of 497 Emirati women visiting five primary healthcare centers in Dubai. Data were collected using a questionnaire composed of sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics, menopause knowledge scale (MKS), and menopause symptoms knowledge and MHT practice. The mean menopause symptoms knowledge percentage was 41%, with a standard deviation of 21%. There were significant differences in the mean knowledge percentage among categories of education level (p < 0.001) and employment (p = 0.003). No significant differences in the knowledge percentages were found among categories of menopausal status. “Pregnancy cannot occur after menopause” was the statement with the highest knowledge percentage (83.3%), while the lowest knowledge percentages were “risk of cardiovascular diseases increases with menopause’’ (23.1%), “MHT increases risk of breast cancer’’ (22.1%), and “MHT decreases risk of colon cancer’’ (13.9%). The knowledge of Emirati women about menopause, MHT, and related heart diseases was very low; therefore, an education campaign about menopause and MHT risks is needed to improve their knowledge for better coping with the symptoms.