Hormone replacement therapy use in UK general practice: Duration, discontinuation and women’s experience

Abstract

Objective Investigate characteristics of women treated with combined estrogen and progestogen hormone replacement therapy (study-HRT); HRT patterns; reasons and outcomes associated with HRT discontinuation. Study design Retrospective observational study using The Health Improvement Network database examining women’s characteristics and treatment patterns (Database). Postal questionnaire exploring reasons and outcomes associated with HRT discontinuation (Survey). Main outcome measures Database: Demographic and clinical characteristics. HRT patterns, time from diagnosis to treatment, duration of treatment, type of treatment and change of treatment (switch, add-on, re-start and discontinuation). Survey: HRT therapy status, menopause rating scale and reasons for discontinuation. Results Database: 8968 women prescribed study-HRT between January 2006 and January 2010 were matched 1:1 on GP practice and age with women not prescribed HRT. Women prescribed study-HRT were more likely to be a current/past smoker ( p<0.05) and experienced higher levels of co-morbidities related to menopause ( p < 0.05) versus women not prescribed HRT. Treatment duration was approximately 14 months and 95% changed treatment during the study. Survey: 116 respondents. Women on HRT had lower MRS scores ( p < 0.05) than women who discontinued HRT. Main reasons for discontinuation were medical advice, side-effects/potential side-effects. Fear of breast cancer was also stated as a reason. Conclusions Duration of HRT was relatively short, with 95% of women changing treatment. HRT discontinuation was associated with more severe menopause symptoms. Medical advice and concerns about side-effects were major reasons for the discontinuation, suggesting that there was a need for a balanced dialogue with women about risks and benefits of HRT, as emphasised by NICE guidance.