The most commonly prescribed hormones in HRT are estrogen and progesterone/progestin.

Progesterone/progestin is prescribed with estrogen to counteract estrogen’s effect 	on the endometrium and prevent uterine cancer.

The progestin in estrogen/progestin therapy frequently causes side effects like mood swings and bloating that make women decide to go off therapy.

After menopause, estrogen and progesterone levels in the body drop precipitously.

What Women Don’t Know About Hormones And HRT

Two out of three (64%) women surveyed did not know or were not sure what hormones 	are affected as a woman enters menopause.              

68% of all women surveyed did not know estrogen levels

92% of all women surveyed did not know progesterone levels are affected.

While more than half (53%) of women surveyed consider themselves knowledgeable 	about estrogen, fewer than one in three (30%) consider themselves knowledgeable about progesterone.

Half of women surveyed (51%) know that estrogen is one of the hormones commonly 	prescribed in HRT, but fewer than one in seven (14%) named progesterone as a common HRT component.

What Doctors Say And What Women Take Away

79% of women who consulted a doctor for menopause-related issues said their doctor 	did a good job explaining HRT.

But nearly half (46% of all women surveyed) said they still are not sure which 	hormones were prescribed in HRT. And two out of three (65%) said they are not knowledgeable about progesterone, 	a common component of HRT.

What Women Know - And Don’t Know - Affects How They Make HRT Choices

Women who consider themselves knowledgeable about estrogen and/or progesterone 	are much more likely than their uninformed counterparts to have experience with HRT.

If entering menopause today, nearly half of women surveyed (41%) would not take hormone replacement

 therapy, and another one in five (17%) remain undecided.              

The inclination to use therapy is higher than average among women who feel they 		are knowledgeable about estrogen/progesterone (54%) and women in their fifties (52%).

The top three reasons women say they would take HRT:              

To alleviate menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats): 32%

For the overall benefits, including health benefits: 11%

 take HRT if they became menopausal 	today:              

It’s not necessary - haven’t needed it: 18%

How do women rank the following considerations when choosing a particular HRT regimen?              

Similar to their own body’s hormones: 83%

This survey was conducted by Yankelovich Partners, Inc., between March 24 and April 6, 1998.

Yankelovich Partners interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,009 American women age 40 and older. Interviews were conducted using a Random Digit Dial (RDD) technique to ensure that respondents with both listed and unlisted phone numbers were reached. The margin of error based on the total number of respondents is ± 3.1%.

Menopause

Results of Yankelovich/University of Cincinnati Survey