Hormone therapy use in Australian-born women: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the pattern of use of hormone therapy (HT) among Australian women, and its side-effects and benefits, and to compare baseline characteristics of HT users with never users. Design: Longitudinal community-based study with annual interviews. Setting: Melbourne, May 1991-October 1997. Participants: 357 Australian-born women aged 45-55 years who were pre- or perimenopausal and not using HT at baseline. Main outcome measures: Rates of HT use; baseline characteristics of users and non-users; side effects and benefits of HT use. Results: 151 women (42%) used HT over the six years and 93 (26%) were current users at six-year follow-up. HT users did not differ significantly from..