J Korean Soc Menopause.  2012 Aug;18(2):94-99.

Changing Korean Menopausal Women's Awareness on Hormone Therapy: 7-years after Women's Health Initiative Study

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. mrkim@catholic.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Seoul, Korea.
  • 6Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 7Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Chung-ang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
  • 8Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 9The Study Group of Menopause, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this survey was to compare Korean menopausal women's perceptions of hormone replacement therapy before and after publication of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study.
METHODS
This study was conducted through a survey of 713 postmenopausal women, who attended lectures on health to commemorate Korean Menopause Awareness Month, during 2009 in Seoul and the provinces (Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju and Busan).
RESULTS
Respondents' knowledge concerning the cause of menopause have been increased to 86.7% in 2009, compared to 56.6% in 2002. Women who required hormone therapy increased to 57.6% in 2009, compared to 56.6% in 2002. As a source of information about hormone therapy, media was about 34.0% in 2009, different from the previous study that doctor's advice was 60.7%. Among the women who stopped hormone therapy, the most common reason was fear of cancer (31.8%), which increased compared to 9.3% in 2002. Women who received regular screening for breast cancer increased to 82.3% in 2009, compared to 35.0% in 2002. Women who checked bone mineral density (BMD) increased to 71.8% in 2009, compared to 40.2% in 2002.
CONCLUSION
Menopausal women in Korea have increased their awareness of menopause. They responded that hormone therapy was helpful to manage menopausal symptoms, even after WHI study. They obtained menopause-related information through various sources, and the role of mass media has been greatly increased. But they were concerned about the increased risk for cancer, especially breast cancer.

Keyword

Awareness; Menopause; Republic of Korea

MeSH Terms

Bone Density
Breast Neoplasms
Female
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Humans
Korea
Lectures
Mass Media
Mass Screening
Menopause
Publications
Republic of Korea
Women's Health

Reference

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