Attitudes toward Menopause and Menopausal Hormone Therapy among Thai Women Aged 40 Years Old and Above: A Hospital-based study
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objectives: To assess attitudes and associated factors toward menopause and menopausal hormone therapy among Thai women aged 40 years old and above.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Thai women aged 40 years old and above who visited the Gynecological Outpatient Department at Phramongkutklao Hospital between 1 March and 30 June 2023. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect the baseline characteristics and attitudes toward menopause and menopausal hormone therapy. The questionnaires were validated and confirmed for reliability (Cronbach alpha r = 0.8).
Results: Three hundred women were enrolled in the study. The mean of the participants’ age was 54.42 ± 9.11 years. Almost two-thirds of the participants (196/300) were in post-menopausal status. Thirteen percent were current users of menopausal hormone therapy. About three-fifths of the participants agreed with “Going through menopause does not change much,” (58%) and almost two-thirds agreed with “Menopausal hormone therapy is appropriate for some women,” (63%). In contrast, the phrases, “I felt mentally and emotionally humiliated when menopause started” and “Menopausal hormone therapy should be avoided,” had the highest disagreement rates, with 82.3% and 27.3% of participants disagreeing, respectively. The mean ± standard deviation menopause and menopausal hormone therapy attitude scores out of 30 were 19.75 ± 5.24 and 16.1 ± 3.31, respectively. Moreover, for menopause attitudes, the participants aged 50-59 years had lower scores than younger participants (p = 0.04), while those who lived in rural areas had significantly higher scores than those in urban areas (p = 0.017).
Conclusion: The women aged 40 years old and above who visited Phramongkutklao Hospital in the present study had quite positive attitudes about menopause and menopausal hormone therapy. Age and living area were the factors associated with menopause attitude.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Chompootweep S, Tankeyoon M, Yamarat K, Poomsuwan P, Dusitsin N. The menopausal age and climacteric complaints in Thai women in Bangkok. Maturitas 1993;17:63-71
“The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society” Advisory Panel. The 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause 2022;29:767-94.
Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL, LaCroix AZ, Kooperberg C, Stefanick ML, et al. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results From the Women’s Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002;288:321-33.
Rossouw JE, Manson JE, Kaunitz AM, Anderson GL. Lessons learned from the Women’s Health Initiative trials of menopausal hormone therapy. Obstet Gynecol 2013;121:172-6.
Cochran, W.G. 1977. Sampling Techniques. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons., accessed 15 January 2023, < https://www.myrelab.com/learn/sample-size>
Chaikittisilpa S, Jirapinyo M, Chaovisitsaree S, Wipatavit V, Bunyaviroch S, Kanluan B, et al. Impact of Women’s Health Initiative study on attitude and acceptance of hormone replacement therapy in Thai women attending menopause clinics. J Med Assoc Thai 2007;90:628–35.
Harun MGD, Salema U, Chowdhury A, Haque MI, Kafi MAH, Shahajahan M, et al. Knowledge and attitudes associated with menopause among women aged 45 to 60 years: a pilot study among rural and urban women in Bangladesh. Menopause 2020;27:648-57.
Smail L, Jassim GA, Sharaf KI. Emirati women’s knowledge about the menopause and menopausal hormone therapy. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17:4875.
Soules MR, Sherman S, Parrott E, Rebar R, Santoro N, Utian W, et al. Executive summary: Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW) Park City, Utah, July, 2001. Menopause 2001;8:402-07.
Sethi K. Attitudes towards menopause and hormone replacement therapy in different cultures. Int Congr Ser 2002;1229:207-14.
Alshogran OY, Mahmoud FM, Alkhatatbeh MJ. Knowledge and awareness toward menopause and hormone therapy among premenopausal women in Jordan. Climacteric 2021;24:171-8.
Taechakraichana N, Wilawan K, Wipatavit V, Maitrisathit S, Thamanavat N., Jaisamran U, et al. Hormone replacement therapy: Attitude and acceptance of Bangkokian women. J Med Assoc Thai 2003;86 Suppl 2:S385-98.
